Fighting Back
by The Paper Wolf
Summary: Complete! I own nothing in ANY of my stories but my Ocs! -.- I always need help so feel free to drop me any lines! Peace!
1. Waiting in Vain

Chapter One: Waiting in Vain

_I'm not your every day on the block..._

_I'm known for finding weakness,_

_in anyone too arrogant!_

_Hasn't anyone ever told you?_

_It's not the man in the fight,_

_it's the fight in the man!_

_Somebody lied to me..._

Today was a normal day for the Mighty Ducks' center hockey player, Duke L'Orange. He and his teammates were on their way to a martial arts competition under the command of their manger, Phil Palmfeather. The humanoid convinced their goalie, Wildwing to go as a public appearance.

They all had disgusted looks and gloomy attitudes about the decision, but Wildwing reasoned with them with the help of Mallory and Tanya. Nosedive complained while being pushed into the Migrator while Duke tried to talk his way nervously out of the event, but had no such luck. Grin, of course, went with the decision. Eventually, Duke gave in and followed suit with less reluctance.

"Man, this is so lame! Why do we have to go to something as lame as _martial arts_?" Nosedive whined in a rough tone as he sulked in his seat.

"Because Phil gave us these passes, and besides," Wildwing answered in a brotherly tone, "it's something to do on our off day."

"Yeah, and at least we won't be outside in this horrible heat." Mallory chimed in from the other side as she shrugged her shoulders at the younger duck.

"Yeah, but _martial arts_?" Nosedive argued stubbornly, kicking his feet onto the panel beside him. "I'd expect Grin to go to something like this, but this is totally uncool!"

_There's no turning back now..._

Once they arrived at the Broken Hills Tournament, they looked around. The lobby looked slightly like their own Pond. The only difference was that the trophies at the pond didn't have miniture fighters on them. It was a relief to know that it was a similar sight for the teenaged duck.

"Well, I'll give this place one thing, it's a great place to take a break away from hockey." Wildwing commented in a postitive tone as he took in the area he stepped into.

"Yeah, and the uh, aerodynamics that the fighters use in their matches are amazing, too!" Tanya added in an excited tone as he looked at the youngest duck.

"Eh, it's not my style, but I'm always open to new dings." Duke said in an interested tone as he towards the signs on the walls; looking for the enterance to the competition.

"I still thinks it's boring." Nosedive mumbled under his breath as he glared at anything his eyes fell on in the lobby.

"It's something to do, now come on already before we miss the opening match!" Mallory barked at the younger duck, following the others to the ring.

Nosedive blinked at the red headed duck and obeyed her command, and looked around at all the fighters in the room. They were all scattered along the room. Two teenagers were matched up all over the room and whoever got three points first, won. The rules were simple and easy to follow. Some fighters had an artistic while others had a bit of a wild side to their style, which quickly caught the attention to the two reluctant ducks.

The oldest duck looked around the room and seen a thin girl fighting against a bigger boy. "Hey, that's not fair, making a girl fight against a boy twice her size!" Duke declared, getting the attention of his teammates.

"What girl, Duke? There's a lot of girls fighting boys down there." Mallory said in a confused tone, looking around the room for the girl Duke was talking about.

"She's da one wearing a gray bath robe across the floor with a big guy wearing a red bath robe." Duke said angrily as he pointed the girl out.

"In martial arts, all fighters are equal." A lazy voice said from behind the ducks, making them look back.

The speaker was an old man in his mid- 50's with stoned gray hair and tired brown eyes. He wore a simple white shirt with red suspenders and light brown pants.

"Do you know that girl, mister?" Wildwing asked in a curious tone as he looked from the man to the girl fighting against the man.

"Yes I do." The man answered simply.

"Den who is she? Why does she have to fight a monster like that?" Duke demanded warningly as he glared at the man behind him.

The man blinked at the old duck before he began laughing at him. "I know that girl since before she was able to walk by self." The man said in a foreign accent, " She know how to take care of self. Besides, the bigger they come, the harder they fall."

Duke gave the man a bewildered look, and the man, shook his head in response. "Just watch and see." He said in a positive tone.

Duke turned his attention back to the little girl and watched her take a fighting stance that resembled a bird with her arms raised over her head and her left knee brought forward. As soon as the bigger boy charged forward, she brought her knee down and used the other to deliver a harsh kick to the boy's face, earning her a victory.

"Whoa! Did you see that! She took him out with just a simple kick!" Nosedive cried excitedly as he leaned his elbows on his lap, giving her his full attention.

The man only laughed at the younger duck's reaction. "I told you so." He warned, "that girl is known for pulling victories out of her sleeve against people everyone knows she won't be able to beat."

"Who is that girl! She kicks some major butt!" Nosedive wondered in the same excited tone as he kept his eyes trained on the girl advancing to the next round.

"Her name is Shadow Honda. Is known for letting opponent's think they have uppa hand." The man answered simply as he watched the girl like a proud father.

"Shadow Honda? As in "The Devil's Shadow" Honda? The youngest martial artist to win the Underground under 18 tournament?" Mallory asked in a surprised tone as she watched the girl get paired up with another girl wearing a white gi.

"That only a title the tabs called her. But that same girl alright." The man answered with a nod.

"You know dat girl?" Duke asked in a curious tone as he looked over to the red headed duck beside him.

"Yeah, she took the Underground Tournament by storm when she defeated the reigning champion, Rocky Dean. And he was champion for three years _and_ at the time a third degree black belt." Mallory told him, "I didn't expect her to be here. She looks much smaller in person."

"That because she only fifteen." The man replied in a flat tone as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat.

"If that's Shadow, then who are you?" Wildwing asked in a questioning tone.

"I would be her teacha, Mr. Kemo." The man behind them said in a pleased tone, not taking his eyes off the girl fighting in the tournament. The man looked down at his watch and gasped at the time. "So sorry to leave you, but I go to sign Shadow-san up for the finals!" He said in an embarrassed tone as he stood up and bowed to the ducks. "Nice talking to you." He said as he walked off; leaving the ducks to their imaginations.

And soon enough, Shadow's last and final advancement to the semi-finals had regained the ducks' attention once again.

The other times the tiny girl won her matches, she didn't have hardly a scratch on her, but when Duke looked at the girl get into a tiger position, he saw blood smeared just above the left brow and a slightly bloodied lower lip. From the way her left elbow was trembling, Duke could tell she had injured the accused area.

Shadow let her opponent make the first move and waited for her to charge. This time, instead of rushing in like all the others before her, Shadow's opponent flipped her way towards Shadow; catching her off guard. Shadow took a harsh blow to her arms and head, and was sent to the ground.

"I never would've seen that coming!" Wildwing said in a shocked tone with his mouth opened wide.

"I knew martial arts was rough, but I neva knew it was _dis_ rough!" Duke said in disbelief as he watched the refferee rush over to Shadow and began asking her if she could continue.

Shadow coughed and crawled a bit on the floor. After a brief second, she bounced back to her feet, and nodded to the refferee. The red-clad man made a few shouts and ordered the two fighters back to their marks on the matt. The refferee made the girls bow to him before he made them bow to each other and finally get into their fighting stances. The score was now tied.

"She's not half bad for a human." Nosedive said in an interested tone as he watched two fighters begin to fight once again.

"And you thought this was going to be boring." Mallory said in a sly tone, trying to keep her snickers in control.

"I bet yer glad ya came now." Duke sneered playfully at the younger duck between him and the leader, before he quickly turned his attention back to the fight.

Instead of crouching down into her normal move, Shadow stood on one foot like a flamingo with her arms stread upwards and her wrists angled perfectly. Her back was perfectly straight; waiting for the girl to charge. And once she did, Shadow bounced to her other leg, and kicked her opponent in the chest, sending her flying, and advanced to the final round. The ducks let out a sigh of relief when she won.

Nosedive looked over at his older brother and stared at him in shock. "Remind me not to make her mad." He said in a blunt tone as he blinked in surprise.

Wildwing nodded in agreement. "I hear ya, baby bro, but now it's down to her and the champion." He said in a tunned tone as he leaned back in his.

"If that's how tough the semi-finalist is, I don't even want to see how bad the champion will be!" Mallory said in a worried tone as she shook her head at the limping Shadow as the referees helped her to the bench so she could rest while she waited her turn to fight.

Duke nodded his head in agreement. "Somethin' tells me it ain't ova yet fer her eitha." He said in a grim tone as he was watched the injured girl tend to her wounds while she watched the champion fight the last fight before he went against her.

The champion was a slightly buiilt boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a black gi with a symbol of a red dragon etched into the back and the words, "Fire Dragon" on the left side on the front. He waited till his opponent was in range before he struck him harshly in the nose, breaking it on impact, and striking him in the back when he doubled over. He earned himself two points in one move.

He rose to his feet when the other guy got to his and sent a quick punch to his chest; earning him the right to take on Shadow in the next round.

"Well, that was quick." Mallory said in a blunt tone as she rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

"Uh- I hate to say it, but," Tanya said in a concerned tone, raising her feathered finger to her lower beak, "I don't think Shadow stands uh, you know a chance against him!"

Duke looked at the girl for a moment and noticed a confident smirk on her face, and looked over at the two doubting ducks beside him with a reasurring look. "Don't write her off yet." He advised in a warning tone as he grinned at the girl watching her next opponent go back to his friends to wait to be called to fight again. She had a playful look in her eye as she kept her eyes trained on her next opponent. "I think she might have a trick up 'er sleeve."

When it was finally her time to fight once again, she was called up front to face the red dragon. After they bowed to the referee and to each other, they both got into their fighting stances. The boy bounced around as if he were dancing on hot coal and moved side to side, waiting for the right time to strike.

Unlike Shadow's last stance, she stood up straight with one arm folded behind her back and her palm facing upward and her thumb folded over her open palm. The boy charged for her and she quickly dropped down to the matt and sent him to the ground in the process and tagged him in the stomach with her free hand. They got up once again in time for Shadow jumped into the air and pulled a roundhouse kick to his face; earning her the title, "Champion of the Underground Tournament". The girl helped the boy to his feet and bowed to him in respect before the referee and Mr. Kemo joined her sides and raised her arms in the air in triumph.

The ducks couldn't help but give Shadow a standing aplause. Nosedive was so impressed by Shadow's preformance that he whistled and cheered with excitement. Wildwing had also cheered along with Duke and Mallory. Tanya clapped while she, too cheered. The only duck that didn't show as much as the rest of the team would be Grin. He merely bowed in respect for the young fighter.

"Whoa! I didn't think she could win against someone like that boy!" Wildwing said in shock as he sat back down in his seat.

"She's pretty good." Mallory said in an amazed tone as she nodded in agreement.

"Good?" Nosedive said in shock, "That girl has some serious skill!"

He added excitedly as he jumped up and down in his seat.

"She's got talent!" Duke said proudly as he looked at the two younger ducks with equal excitement.

"She's got some real potential. I could see her going pretty far in this career." Wildwing said in a positive voice as he watched her teacher help her out of the ring; holding her trophy as they walked out of the room."Maybe we should go down and congradulate her."

Duke stood up with a satisfied smile. "Well, I'm definitely goin' down dare ta congragulate 'er!" He said in mind-set tone as he began to make his way down to the isle. Without another word, everyone else followed Duke's example and followed him through the crowd.

Once they made their way down to the stadium, they found Shadow and Mr. Kemo sitting at the bench. Shadow was in the middle of wrapping her wrists when they came up to her.

"Hey, Shadow," Wildwing said in a good natured tone, "how's the bumps and bruises feelin'?"

Shadow looked up at Wildwing in shock before she looked over at Mr. Kemo with desperate eyes. "I've survived worse than this." She said in a quiet tone as she looked up at the leader with a brave smile. "I can take a few cuts and scraps."

"Dose were some pretty slick moves ya pulled back dare. You've got a lot of talent." Duke said in a pleased tone as eh smiled down at the girl.

"Shadow-san work very hard to get where she is today." Mr. Kemo said in a pleased tone as he ruffled Shadow's already messed up hair.

Shadow swatted the old man's hand away in embarrassement. "Mr. Kemo!" She whined as she glared over at the man beside her.

Mr. Kemo made a mock-growl at the child and looked back at the ducks before him. "It was very nice meeting you all, uh- Shadow-san and I are going to Burger World - celebrate victory."

"It was nice meeting you..." Shadow said in a quiet tone as she slowly stood up and let Mr. Kemo help her off the stadium. She looked back at them with a ghost of happiness in her eyes before she called out. "Good luck at tonight's game! I hope you win!"

"Uh-Danks, Shadow!" Duke said in a stunned tone as he watched her limp off towards the exit. "Ya know, somethin'? Dat kid ain't half bad."

"Yeah man!" Nosedive said excitedly as he held a fist up to his face. "I want to see her fight again!"

"I bet I could teach her to be one tough kid." Mallory said in a thoughtful tone as she began daydreaming about sparring off with the human child.

Nosedive let out a hardy laugh as they made their way out of the building. "Hey, if anyone's gonna corrupt that kid, it's gonna be me!" He declared proudly as they all headed stepped out of the stadium; laughing as they went...


	2. No Word, No Think

Chapter Two: No Word, No Think

_She laughs through her fears,_

_and smiles through her tears._

_She takes the long way home._

_She's in so much pain,_

_but she never says a word._

_There are others like her, _

_that nobody sees._

_So Naturally,_

_nobody cares..._

It's been exactly two weeks since the gang had met the mysterious fighter, Shadow Honda. They haven't seen much of the child since that day, and when they did see her, she either had her nose in a book with headphones on, or she was spotted at the park with her headphones and training. It was like she was some kind of ghost going through the city.

Shadow was skating on the boardwalk, dodging traffic with ease. Something caught her eyes something from her blind-side, it was a creepy shadow. The shadow was standing in the upcoming alley and shivered slightly against the wind, and picked up her speed. Shadow looked back in the direction she was going and collided with something big and metal.

The force knocked her fully down on the ground. She moaned and rubbed her hip in a soothing manner as she looked up at the thing that she collided with and noticed it was one of the city street lights. Her senses kicked back in when she heard someone calling out to her.

" 'ey, you alright, kiddo?" A rough brooklyn accent reached her ears.

Shadow nodded sheepishly at Duke. "I'll let you know in a few minutes." She said in a dazed tone as she swayed back and forth a little.

Duke shook his head at the girl and held his hand out to her. " 'ere ya go." He said; gestering for her to take his hand.

Shadow followed suit and grabbed his feathered hand. "I guess I was absent the day they taught graceful, huh?"

Just as Duke was about to reply, but the blonde haired, blue-eyed boy from the Underground Tournament turned a corner and found the two. He let out a harsh growl and marched right up to Shadow; grabbing her uniform.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing me up like that at the tournament, Shadow Honda!" He said in a round tone as he shook her wildly back and forth.

Shadow looked over at the hands on her uniform and dangerously up at the boy. "Take your hands off me..." She warned dangerously as she glared up at him. "I don't want to fight outside the ring or dojo."

The boy snarled down at the girl and pulled his fist back; ready to attack. "Then it looks like the fight came to you!" He shouted as he thrust his fist forward.

"Shadow!" Duke shouted in a stunned tone as he watched Shadow stand in the way of the oncoming fist.

Shadow smirked and dogdged the blow; taking a step back. She looked over her shoulder at Duke before she made a no handed cartwheel to a nearby car. The boy stumbled forward and looked over at Shadow with hatred in his eyes and got into a fighting stance.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Shadow said in a taughting tone, as she smirked at the boy facing her; daring him to make the taboo.

And just as he charged at Shadow with full force, she managed to roll her body around his once his shoulder reached hers, and wrapped his arm around his back, making him instictively reach for his chest with his free arm as pain shot up his shoulder. Once Shadow had her fill with him, she kicked the boy's back and pushed him to the ground.

" 'ey, 'ey! Knock it off you two!" Duke shouted fatherly at the teens before him.

The boy shot back up to his feet and began attacking the tiny girl. Shadow easily dodged each attack and finished him off by guiding his fist into the nearby wall. The boy howled in pain and held his throbbing hand; glaring up at the girl standing.

Shadow stared blankly at the boy before her. "Wow. Told ya so." She said in a blunt tone as she mocked the boy. She looked over at Duke with a mock-surprised expression. "I warned him not to." She then knelt before the boy with a serious look in her eye. "I did warn you. You really don't want to end up like I was and live a short lived life of anger and violence. It's not pretty, trust me."

And with that, Shadow stood to her feet and slowly began to walk off. Duke glared at the boy in disappointment before he went after Shadow.

" 'ey, kid, wait up!" He called after her, following her down the sidewalk. "Dat was some pretty slick moves back 'ere." He said in a proud tone, catching up with the girl.

Shadow looked over her shoulder and shrinked back in shame. "It's not that great." She said modestly, "I hate street fighting. Someone always gets hurt."

"Dat's true, but you neva backed down from dat bully, and dat's something to be proud of." Duke tried to reason with the girl as he followed her to the corner. "So where are ya goin' out 'ere anyways, sweetheart?"

Shadow smiled weakly at the old alien duck beside her. "Mr. Kemo thinks I need work on my reflexes, so he's making me learn evasive manuvers by skating through the boardwalk traffic." Shadow explained in a polite tone as she pulled over to stop at a nearby drinking fountian.

Duke watched her take a drink of water in amazement. "You take this karate ding seriously, don't cha, sweetheart?" He asked in an observing tone.

Shadow looked up at Duke with lively eyes. "You missunderstand my motives, Duke." Shadow said in a confident tone. "Karate is more than just a sport, it's actually a way of life."

"I'm not followin' ya." Duke said in a blank tone as he watched the girl straighten her back.

"I used to be exactly like Rocky back there. Always picking fights with little experience and losing nine tenths of them, not to mention all the times I'd come home blood-soaked. Karate is all about self defense and respectful towards others and yourself. But there's so much more to karate than just that, it's only just _one_ of the basic principles of karate." Shadow explained in teaching tone; mimicking her teacher as she skated circles around Duke.

" ey, maybe we could teach each otha a few dings sometime, eh?" Duke said in a friendly tone as he looked sideways at the girl before he turned his attention back to the direction they were going. "So, uh, where're ya headin' kiddo?" He asked trying to start a conversation.

Shadow let out a tired sigh and hung her head down low in surrender. "I'm heading home before I run into anymore trouble, believe it." She said in a stressed out tone as she looked up at Duke with one open eye.

Duke smiled proudly at the girl and folded his arms over his chest. "Dat's a good idea." He said in a fatherly tone before his detective instints took over. "But what I don't get is why would dat kid come afta ya outta da blue."

Shadow sighed and looked over at old duck and dodged a passerby with ease. "It's an old grudge." She explained in a bitter tone. "There are just as many rivals in the world of martial arts as there are in hockey. It's common knowledge." Another sigh escaped her lips as she slowed her strides to stay with the old duck. "There are even bets placed between dojos and what not."

Duke blinked down at Shadow in confusion; trying to understand what she had just told him. "Is dat why he attacked ya? Over some grudge?"

Shadow shook her head and looked down at her feets as she relaxed her composer. "If only it were that simple. I went to the dojo he was attending. Well, Rocky and the others would constantly haze me whenever they had the chance. So, after some brutal harassement, I had to move and attend a different dojo."

Duke growled in anger when he heard what had happened. "I can't believe dat! Don't dese people have no respect?" He demanded with a snear.

Shadow smiled to herself and looked up at the sky. "It stunk for awhile, but I learned so many different fighting styles that I never dreamed of!" She said in a thoughtful tone as she looked forward and continued to dodge the passerbys. "It's not so bad when I think about it like that, ya know?"

Duke blinked in amazement and thought about what the girl just said. He was surprised to say the least that she was so mature for her age. He scratched his head in confusion. "I guess dat makes sense." He said in a surprised tone. "You're so mature for someone yer age."

Shadow smiled proudly at her companion. "I get that a lot." She said in a modest blush as she looked away in embarrassment.

"Ya must not 'ave had a good childhood, huh?" Duke said with a slight flinch.

Shadow smiled lazily at Duke. "You could say that." She said as she turned a corner; Duke following suit. "I mean, I wouldn't actually say it was "bad", but I can't really say that it wasn't "good", either."

"I can respect dat." Duke said in an understanding tone as he nodded at the girl as they went into town.

"But who can say that they were always happy in their life, right?" Shadow said in a joking tone as she raised her hands in a curious fashion.

Duke choked back a chuckle and placed his hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Man, you're smart and mature, kiddo! I wish every kid was as easy-going as you!" He said full heartedly; making the girl laugh in response.

"I learn a lot from Mr. Kemo." Shadow replied, stopping at a set of railroad tracks. "He taught me a lot about karate."

Duke looked over at the girl skeptically. "Oh, really?" He asked, "What did he teach ya?"

Shadow shook her head at the duck. "He taught me how to control my... anger and things like that. Kinda like if you sit down and talk with him like he was a friend or something, he'd teach you things and wouldn't even know it!"

Duke laughed full heartedly at the girl's excitement. It reminded him greatly of a certain teenaged teammate of his.

"Well, it sounds like you really like this karate stuff, eh, kiddo?" Duke said in a fatherly tone as they arrived across the street from the Pond.

Shadow showed him a genuine smile that warmed the old duck's heart. "I love karate as much as you guys love hockey!" She said in a happy tone, "I eat, sleep, breathe karate! With the exception of figure skating and hockey, of course. I gotta keep my mind open to other sports, too."

"So who's your favorite hockey team, den?" Duke asked in a playful tone as he placed his hands on his hips and leaned down towards the girl.

"The Anahiem Mighty Ducks, of course!" Shadow answered without missing a beat, surprising Duke once again.

Duke choked on his own joke for a minute. "Really?" He asked, making sure he wasn't dreaming.

Shadow nodded excitedly at Duke and smiled proudly at him. "I've been to all your games since I moved here a few weeks ago! You're my all- time favorite player. You're all amazing players, but you just remind me a lot of someone close to me."

Duke came back to his senses and cleared his throat in his fist. "So who is it dat I remind ya so much of, sweetheart?" He wondered as they stopped walking to rest at the bus stop on the corner.

"You remind me of my father. He was my hero, ya'know? He and Mr. Kemo taught me and my brother karate since we started walking!" She told him with a blush as she looked away. She looked back up at Duke with a smile. "Well, I better be heading home now. It was nice talking with you, Duke." Shadow said in a soft tone as she got up from her seat and placed her dufflebag over her head. "I don't want Mr. Kemo to worry about me." She as she took off, only to spin around to face Duke again. "Bye, Duke! Good luck at next week's game if I don't see you then!" She called out before she spun back around and skated off in the opposite direction.

"Danks, sweetheart! Be careful goin' home!" Duke called back as he waved, watching Shadow wave back. "Dat kid neva ceases ta amaze me." He said to himself as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed across the street in the direction of his home, not hiding the proud smile on his feathered face.

Once he got to the briefing room, he found Tanya typing furiously at the keyboard with Wildwing standing behind her. Wildwing looked up to see Duke walking up to them with a broad smile on his face.

"You're in a good mood today." Wildwing stated curiously at the oldest duck.

Duke chuckled and shook his head. "I just found out who my numba one fan is." He said in a cryptic tone as he smirked playful at his leader.

Wildwing raised a brow at Duke's response. "Who?" He asked obediently.

"Dat's for me ta know, and you guys ta find out." He said before he went past him and went towards the bunks towards his room. "I'm headed ta bed. Night guys." He said with a yawn as he stretched and left the two ducks to ponder what just happened.

Tanya looked up at Wildwing with a puzzled expression on her face. "What's gotten into him?" She asked in a shocked tone. "I've never seen him so che-che-uh happy."

Wildwing held his arms up in submission. "There's nothin' wrong with being happy, I guess."

Tanya folded her arms over her chest in protest. "I still don't get it." She said in a stubborn tone as she went back to work on Drake-1; not wanting to be bothered with Duke's cheerful mood...


	3. Confusing What Is Real

Chapter Three: Confusing what is Real

_I'm as far you can go..._

_I'm ready to finish what you started!_

_If you want to get me, _

_then come at me with everything you've got!_

_You think you're so tough,_

_but you're in for a rude awakening!_

_Just try to take me down!_

_You can take your best shot, but I warn you:_

_Anything you throw at me, _

_I'll throw back times a thousand!_

_Everyone's going to get it now..._

The following night, the Mighty Ducks played their game as planned. Wildwing was on fire tonight as he blocked nearly every score from their opponents, _The New Orleans Werewolves._ Duke stole the puck from the werewolves' right wing as Mallory and Nosedive tag-teamed their defense; giving Duke the opening he needed to score a goal. The score was Werewolves – 1, Mighty Ducks – 2. Nosedive was tripped and slightly hurt by the werewolves' left wing, and was put out of the game. He threw a fit when his older brother told him not to play for the rest of the game, and was stuck cheering for his friends to win. The ducks were down a player.

In the end, they won the game anyway (much to everyone's delight). Duke scored the winning goal at the last second and cheered as they all gathered and raised their sticks high into the air in victory. They shook hands with their opponents as everyone was gathering at the enterance of the stadium where everyone was waiting for the ducks to sign their autographs.

Nosedive was eating the attention up while the others had a pleasant time chatting with their fans and signing their things for them.

"And who should I make dis out ta?" Duke asked in a charming tone, not looking up at his fan.

"Just make it out to another compeitior." The voice responded; making the oldest duck look up in surprise.

"What are you doin' 'ere?" He asked in an excited tone; catching the others' attention as well.

Shadow smiled happily at her favorite team and folded her arms behind her back. "I've been coming to your games since I moved here last month! You all are so much better in person than on the televison, anyway." She chatted in a pleasant tone. "I mean, you are my favorite hockey team, afterall."

Tanya leaned over towards her captian and held a hand up to her face. "She must be the "number one fan" Duke was talking about last chapter." She whispered in a conclusive tone and he nodded in response.

"I never pegged you for a hockey fan, Shadow." Mallory said in an impressed tone as she looked over at Shadow, "You spend so much time with karate and all."

Shadow laughed full heartedly at the red headed duck. "I like to keep my mind open to other things outside of karate, Mallory." She told her in a kind tone as she smiled playfully at the hockey players in front of her. "Too much karate could sometimes be a bad thing.

"Are you here all alone?" Wildwing asked curiously; looking around for Mr. Kemo.

Just as Duke was about to open his beak to speak, Mr. Kemo came out of nowhere and ran straight up to Shadow and grabbed her shoulders in worry.

"Oh, Shadow-san!" He said; out of breath. "Never run off like that again! Nearly gave Kemo heart attack!"

Shadow blushed in embarrassment at the man's concern. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kemo. I just wanted to say hello to the ducks before we went home." Shadow said in an apologetic tone as she looked up from her favorite team, to Mr. Kemo.

"You no run away like that, Shadow-san!" Mr. Kemo strongly advised, letting the girl go and straightened his back. "What if Shadow-san's motha find you and- !"

"My mother is locked away in the looney bin and she can't get out!" Shadow said in a firm tone, glaring up at the old Japanese man behind her.

Duke took a step forward towards the girl; confusion written over his feathered face. " 'ey, what do ya mean your motha is locked up in the looney bin?"

Shadow waved the question off. "It's something that happened a long time ago. Don't worry too much about it." She ordered in a firm tone, not taking her eyes off of the old man behind her.

Mr. Kemo nodded to the girl and placed a father hand on her shoulder. "Mr. Kemo just worried about Shadow-san. So sorry." He said kindly as he smiled reassuringly at her. He looked up at the ducks and nodded to them. "So sorry Shadow bothered you. We be going now."

Wildwing stepped up raising his hands in surrender. "It's such a shame to let her come all this way just to go back so quickly." He stated in a reasoning tone. "How about we take her home when she's ready?"

Shadow looked up at Mr. Kemo with begging eyes. "Oh, please, Mr. Kemo? I won't stay out too late! I promise!" She begged sweetly, hoping to get her guardian to comply.

"Yeah, Mr. Kemo." Mallory spoke up, "I wanted to see how I measure up against Shadow in combat."

Mr. Kemo sneared his nose in disgust. "Fighting not good. Somebody always get hurt." He said in a displeased tone. He looked down at Shadow for a moment before he sighed and gave up. "Hai, Shadow-san can stay. But no getting into trouble."

"A true word needs no oath." Shadow said with a respectful bow to her teacher before she joined the ducks in the crowd.

Mallory looked down at the little girl in a sisterly fashion, as they all went into the locker room. "Mr. Kemo really cares a lot about you, doesn't he?" She asked as she smiled down at the girl.

Shadow smiled and placed her hands behind her head. "Now you know why I call him, "Mr. Kemo"." She said in a content tone; watching all the fans leave the Pond.

"What about your family, Shadow?" Wildwing asked in a curious tone as he looked down at the girl as well.

Shadow blushed slightly and looked away for a second. "Well, I'm not really sure Mr. Kemo would want me telling everyone his story, but he was a WW 2 vet. He had a wife who was going to be the first Kemo born, but he lost them both in child birth." She explained in a thoughtful tone as she looked up at the ducks with softened eyes, "But he once told me that I was like the daughter he never had."

"But what about you, girl? I mean, from the way you two were talkin' back there, it almost sounded like you two live together." Nosedive said in a confused tone as he folded his arms over his chest and began thinking hard.

" 'ey, don't hurt yourself now..." Duke said in a dry tone as he looked over at Nosedive with a bored eye.

Shadow giggled at the two for a moment before she answered the question presented to her. "Far from the contrary, I _do_ live with him. He made me build an extension to his house when I moved there. I had it done within one full day." Shadow said proudly, as she folded her arms over her chest and smirked in victory at the ducks' surprise.

"He made you do what?" Wildwing asked in a stuned tone as his bottom beak fell open.

"It was part of my training." Shadow explained in an excited tone. "I learned so much through the things he made me do!"

"Like what?" Duke asked in a huffy tone as he folded his arms over his chest. "How ta build a house?"

Shadow laughed out loud. "Well, that, and h_ow _he made me do the things he did was the training."

"Care to explain it to the ones who don't understand the hidden messages?" Wildwing asked in a lightened tone as he regained his composture.

Shadow shook her head at the ducks in front of her. "No, but I can show you." She suggested, looking at Mallory. "You know martial arts, right, Mallory?"

"Yeah, I know a few tricks." Mallory replied in a slightly modest tone as she folded her arms behind her.

"Can I use your skills for a bit?" Shadow asked in a polite tone as she smiled up at the hot-tempered duck before her. "It'll only take a second."

Mallory looked over at Wildwing for premisson before she took a step forward. Shadow jumped up on bench beside her and helped Mallory up as well. "You're not going to kick me like you did that guy at the tournament, are you?" She asked in a joking tone as she got into position.

Shadow took a step towards Mallory and stood in front of her. "I want you to throw simple punches at me. Like this, okay?" Shadow instructed; showing simple right and left hooks that were aimed at her shoulders.

Mallory shrugged and obeyed the command. Shadow bent her left wrist all the way down and used it to push Mallory's left hook upwards, and out of the way. Mallory repeated the same action with the opposite fist and Shadow followed suit with her right wrist.

Shadow bowed to her partner and stood up striaght. "Mr. Kemo calls that, "paint-the-fence"." She explained in a teaching tone. She then turned on her side to avoid hitting her partner. "Now, I would like you to aim for my face using the same hooks I showed you." She said, punching the air as if she was hitting someone.

"I guess I could do that." Mallory said in an unsure tone as she watched the girl turn back around to face her.

Unlike the last time, Shadow locked all eight fingers forward on each hand and folded her thumbs over her palm and blocked Mallory's assults by making big circles with her hands; pushing each punch away from her face.

Shadow bowed to Mallory a second time and smiled proudly at her audience. "And that's what's called, "sand- the- floor"." She said as a matter of fact. "I had to sand this long, narrow bridge-like thing behind his house to learn that one. And the last one I had to paint his entire fence that stretched around the whole house."

"So that's it?" Nosedive asked in a dramatic tone. "But you're so talented!"

Shadow looked at the blonde haired teen with a playful smirk. "You haven't seen the last one yet." She told them as she turned side-ways on her heel and looked at Mallory once again. "I need you to throw a left and right hook to my shoulders again." She told her as she turned to Mallory once again.

This time, Shadow blocked the two punches by thrusting her opened fists to the sides; throwing forcefully to the sides in the direction the fists came from. (left throws to the left and right throws to the right). She stood up straight and bowed to Mallory in respect; Mallory following her example.

"But how is dat supposed ta help you?" Duke said in a doubtful tone, folding his arms over his chest.

Shadow grinned at Mallory. "Are you up for another demonstration?" She asked in a cryptic tone.

Mallory nodded and began throwing punches left from right at the girl. Shadow blocked each oncoming attack just using everything she had just showed the ducks. The ducks were amazed at the girl's preformance. Only this time, her movements were more fluid like they were somehow a part of her previous ones. She looked almost exactally as if she was back in the tournament. It was almost like a repeat for them as they all stood in shock in amazement.

Once she was finished, she stood up straight and bowed respectfully at her partner and turned her attention back to her audience.

"Those are just the fundamentals of karate. I learned them by doing simple house work." Shadow explained in a logical tone. "He taught me the basics, but I put my own attitude and style into what he learned."

"You learned all that just from doing simple house work?" Tanya asked in a shocked tone as she looked up at the girl in wonder.

Shadow nodded in reply and did a summersault backwards onto the bleachers behind her and did a no hands' cartwheel to the left side. Once she stablized herself, she flipped forward and landed on the ground behind her viewers.

The ducks clapped and praised the girl's preformance. Shadow smiled up at them and bowed respectfully at them. Duke clapped and looked over at her with an impressed eye, while Nosedive hollared and cheered for an encore.

"You put your own style into it, that's for sure!" Wildwing said in an impressed tone as he placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Thanks, Wildwing! I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I couldn't have showed you anything if it hadn't been for Mallory helping me out!" Shadow said in a polite tone as she smiled over at the right wing of the team; giving her friend some of the spotlight.

Mallory waved her off casually. "I just did what you told me to do." She said in a modest tone.

"Hey, girlie, you've got to show me some of those moves!" Nosedive said in an excited tone as he stared at her with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, maybe sometime when you're not too busy..." Shadow said with a playful wink. "Or when maybe during your off season you could drop by and watch me train!"

Shadow placed her hands behind her head and gave them her back. Just as she was about to take a step forward, she fell flat on her face with a harsh 'thud' sound. It was almost like she was completely exhausted all of a sudden! She raised herself up on all fours and began shaking slightly.

" 'ey, you alright, kiddo?" Duke asked as he ran up to the girl and placed a worried hand on her back.

Shadow shook whatever bothered her off and stood up. "I told ya I was absent the day they taught graceful." She said with a lazy smile as she dusted herself off. "I'm okay."

"You should be more careful, Shadow." Tanya said in a motherly tone as she placed her hands on her hips in concern.

"I know... it's just that..." Shadow said, but stopped herself, biting her lip in the process.

"What is it?" Wildwing asked in concern as he raised a brow at their guest.

"It's not important." Shadow said as she waved Wildwing's concern off. "I think it's time I get back home now..." She said as she made her way to the exit.

Nosedive whined in protest. "But it's not even ten yet!" He complained, "We haven't even had anything to eat!"

Shadow shook her head. "Sorry, I have practice early tomorrow." She said in a sympathetic tone, "Mr. Kemo is going to teach me a new form of karate called, 'kata'. I have to be up and about at five a.m. Sharp."

" 'ere. I'll walk ya out." Duke offered in a polite tone as he followed after the girl.

After they made it outside, Shadow turned to the ducks with a happy smile. "Thanks for a really awesome time, everyone! I'll see ya around!" She said as she smiled to the ducks and walked away.

"Be careful on your way home, Shadow!" Mallory said sisterly as she waved to the girl.

"See ya around, girlie-girl!" Nosedive said before he dashed off inside to his bunk.

Once everyone was heading back inside, Duke grabbed his leader's arm; getting his attention.

" 'ey, yo, Wildwing!" He said, "I'm gonna talk ta Kelgghorn an' see if I can find anything kind of record on her." He added in a worried tone as he looked up at his leader; almost asking for premission.

Wildwing raised a brow at the oldest duck in confusion. "You think she's hiding something, too?" He asked in a joking tone as he looked at Duke for a moment; waiting for his answer.

"Yea, and somethin' tells me it's not good." Duke replied in a worried tone as he looked back to see Shadow walking down the street; practicing her arm movements as she left his sight.

Wildwing looked at Duke for a moment longer before he sighed. "You thought so, too, huh?" He asked in a defeated tone as he watched the oldest duck's movements.

"I don' think she did anythin' bad or nuttin' like dat." Duke said in detective tone, lifting a finger to his beak. "I just wanna see if dare's anythin' that might give us a clue about who she is."

"Her record is gonna tell you all that?" Wildwing asked in a confused tone, turning his head to the side before he turned his masked gaze back at Duke.

Duke glared disappointedly at Wildwing's comment. "She's hidin' somethin' from us, Wing," he stated as a matter of fact, "the way she acts around not just us, but towards othas isn't how normal kids her age act."

"And she is a bit too mature for a girl her age." Wildwing said in a thoughtful tone as he rubbed his beak. He looked over at Duke with a determined tone as he nodded to him in comply. "Alright, Duke, see what you can do." He said as he turned back towards the Pond and headed for their lockeroom.

Duke took one last determined look at the path Shadow had taken home and headed back towards his own home; unknowingly that someone was watching the whole scene unfolding before their evil eyes...

"Lord Dragonus, I just saw those stinkin featherheads talkin' to a little girl outside the Pond." The creepy figure said into a communicator on his arm. "What should I do?"

"Get me that brat! She may be of some use to us!" The evil overlord demanded in a harsh tone as closed the link between him and his henchman.

"Alright, time to get myself a hostage!" The over-grown lizard said gleefully as he watched the two ducks go inside their headquarters; retiring for the night...


	4. Lost The Fight

Chapter Four: Lost the Fight

_Get ready for the day,_

_when I'm going to through it all back at you!_

_Persistance is the key..._

_If you want the truth,_

_don't forget what you already know..._

_Rise above the storm,_

_and you'll find what you're looking for!_

_I've paid my dues and I earned my keep,_

_Now it's my turn to play..._

_You better start believing in nightmares,_

_because you're in one!_

_And it's going to be a long night..._

_ 'Dis is getting me nowhere way too fast!' _Duke thought angrily to himself as he rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked back up at Drake-1. _'Dare's gotta be somethin' I'm not getting!' _

Duke had perched himself at the large super-computer before him. He had been looking at Shadow's file over and over again for the past few hours now. Everyone else had been too tired from tonight's game and all but Duke retired for the night. Or so he thought.

Nosedive came into Duke's sight as he entered the Ready Room with a tired yawn. He looked at Duke for a moment. "Yo, Duke!" He said, as he walked over to the oldest duck. "What are ya still doin' up at this hour, man? I thought you'd be- ya know- sawin' logs by now."

Duke shifted his gaze from the computer to acknowledge Nosedive's presence before he returned to looking through the police records.

"I'm lookin' for anythin' on Shadow, but so far, all I'm getting is a bunch of nuttin' outta da ordinary!" Duke complained in a frusterated tone as he placed his head in his hands.

"Why man?" Nosedive cried in disbelief. "She's a super-cool spitfire! Just like us!" He said in a hyped up tone as he tried his best to copy what he remembers from Shadow's earlier preformance, only succeeding in falling flat on his rear end.

Duke sighed and turned away from the extra large computer and turned to Nosedive. "I just dink she's hidin' somethin' big. Her personality was a dead give away." He told Nosedive in a tired tone as he rubbed his eyes.

"You're still up?" Wildwing asked in a surprised tone as he walked into the room, rubbing his eyes sleepily before he placed his mask back on his face.

Duke nodded his head and turned back to the computer. "Her record's clean but dat don' explain her personality." He said in a displeased tone.

"Well, you found her file, but maybe that's not where you're supposed to look." Wildwing said in a logical tone; coming up behind Duke and looking up at Shadow's file. "Have you tried her parents' records?"

Duke growled in frusteration as he typed a few keys and pulled up her father's file. "It looks like her fatha died before she was born. But it looks like he has some military trainin'." He answered in confirming tone as he looked over the deceased man's file.

"What about her mom, yo?" Nosedive suggested in a curious tone as he joined his brother's side behind Duke, "I mean didn't Shadow say somethin' about her mother being locked up in like, "the looney bin" or somethin'?" He asked: using air quotes to prove his point.

The file was nothing to sneeze at. It had nearly everything from parking tickets to abstuction of justice. It wasn't anything worth looking into. The biological background revealed a startling surprise about their little fighter.

"She seems clean- wait a minute, I never knew Shadow had a twin!" Nosedive said in shock as he blinked up at the screen in bewilderment. "She must be as good as Shadow. How come we never saw her?"

"Yeah, but it looks like her _brother_ died when they were in middle school. Something about a school shooting!" Wildwing said in surprise as he looked over the file again to make sure he was seeing things.

Duke nodded in reply and something interesting caught his eye. "It looks like we struck gold 'ere! Afta da death of her brotha, her mom was really locked up in Broken Hills Mental Institution for the criminally insane!" He said in a shocked tone as he stared up at the file in disblief.

"That would explain why Shadow acts the way she does sometimes." Wildwing said in a realizing tone as he looked to his brother with a blank stare. "I wonder how Mr. Kemo fits into all of this though." He added as an after-thought.

"But why wouldn't she talk to us about it, ya know?" Nosedive asked in a confused tone, "I thought she was starting to ya'know- warm up to us or somethin'."

Duke shook his head at the youngest duck of the trio. "Would ya really wanna go talkin' to a bunch of complete strangas?" He asked in a logical tone, looking over at Nosedive in a teaching manner.

"I'm surprised Shadow can even lift her head up at all with everything that she probably went through." Wildwing said in a doubtful tone as he folded his arms angrily over his chest as he looked up at the ceiling; imagining how the girl must be feeling.

Duke chuckled at the Flashblade brothers behind him. "I could tell from the moment I first watched her fight dat it was takin' ev'rythin' she had to get back up once her opponent had her down." He said in a serious tone as he stopped his search and printed off all the files he found on Shadow and her mother before he got up and turned to face the two brothers. "I want ta get to da bottom of dis case so I can finally have some rest and peace of mind." He declared in a angry tone as he turned to walk away, only to be stopped by his leader.

"Nosedive's going over to the boardwalk to meet up with Shadow," Wildwing informed the worried duck, "why don't you go with him and ask her yourself?" He suggested as he let out another yawn. "I'm gonna stay here and run survailance over the city."

Duke nodded to Wildwing before he walked out of the Ready Room, Nosedive running to catch up with him. "You know where we'll be if ya need us." He said in a bored tone as he waved backwardly to the white feathered duck as the two opposite ducks made their way to the exit.

"Tell Mr. Kemo and Shadow we all said "hi" and "good luck" in her Anahiem National Karate Tournament for us!" He directed his request to his younger as Nosedive ran off towards Duke, earning a fain't "Don't worry, bro!" from the hall way.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kemo and Shadow were at the beach; near the shore. The sun was just barely coming up over the horizon when they had arrived. There were no people around at this time and made it much easier for them to train. No distractions to be handled since most of Anahiem were still asleep. (Save for the trio)

The two had stopped to stare at the sun, and doing a few breathing techniques before Mr. Kemo began sparing with the teen; giving Shadow a quick warm-up before they began their routine. Shadow finished her breathing technique and began her other least favorite routine: stretching.

"Okay, Shadow-san," Mr. Kemo announced in a readied tone as he took a pair of poles he brought for today's lesson, "Kemo want Shadow-san to place ropes on wrist and follow Kemo movements. You learn focus today."

Shadow nodded and had done what she was instructed. Once she was ready, she copied her trainer's movements by crouching low to the ground. Mr. Kemo asked if she was ready when he began to move in odd angles and moved very fluently; making Shadow move with him. Needless to say that it was a lot easier said than done.

After a few moments moving around with the poles attached to her wrists, Duke and Nosedive arrived on the boardwalk with their duckcycles. They didn't see Shadow or Mr. Kemo anywhere! It was like some no-show as they looked around.

"Maybe we're early?" Nosedive suggested in a confused tone as he raised his shoulders at Duke.

Duke was about to agree with the teenager when he heard a man calling out to someone from the beach. He walked over to the rail and seen Shadow and Mr. Kemo training. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Nosedive leaning over to rail and saw the two karate fighters training with the poles.

"I think I just found 'em." Duke said in a blunt tone as he looked back at the girl with the poles on her wrists in fascination.

After a moment or two, Shadow looked up and seen the duo watching her, and waved to them with a happy smile. Mr. Kemo slapped her forehead with the pole and told her to take a break. She signaled for the to come over and began to stretch while she waited.

"I thought you were going to train on the boardwalk, sweetheart." Duke said in a confused tone as he took in the scene around him as he and Nosedive made their way down the stairs leading to the beach.

Shadow shrugged to the older duck before she stood to attention once they reached her and Mr. Kemo. "We're planning on training a while and most likely won't stop for some time," she explained in a bored tone as she looked out to the ocean, "There'll be too many people on the boardwalk soon and we'll have so many people watching and distracking us. So, Mr. Kemo thought we'd be better off practicing down here."

"And you won't get hurt as bad if you were on the boardwalk." Nosedive agreed with folded arms over his chest and a simple nod.

"So what were ya doin' just before we came here, sweetheart?" Duke asked in a curious tone as he looked down at the girl in wonder.

Shadow was about to answer when Mr. Kemo came back to the trio with a portable cd player in his hands. "Shadow-san learning focus." He answered as he placed the music player on a small piliar.

Shadow's eyes lit up with childish excitement. "Oh, Mr. Kemo! Can I show Duke and Nosedive what I'm doing for the State championships? Please?"

The old Japanese man looked thoughtful for a moment before he shook his head, "Kemo have better idea." He said as he handed Shadow a few cds for her to look through. "Shadow-san pick song and show friends what you do when not training..."

"Oh, yeah! That'll totally blow you guys away!" Shadow agreed excitedly as she began looking through her cds. She looked up at the two and smiled brightly at them. "If you thought I was pretty good back at the pond, wait till you see what I can do when I have music!"

"Coolella! Let's see what you got, girlie-girl!" Nosedive said happily as he pumped a fist in the air.

Shadow handed a cd to her trainer and told him to program the cd player which song she was going to play and got into a fighting position. She bowed to the man once he did was he was told and told her to began.

The song was by some boy band that had a real upbeat to it. Nosedive recognized it as one of his favorite bands. It was, _'Just Like You' _by Three Days Grace. Duke could tell by the smile on Shadow's face and how she moved to the beat that it was her favorite song as the lyrics began to play. Nosedive sat down on the sand and listened to the song and watched Shadow begin to train.

_**'I could be mean!**_

_**I could be angry! **_

_**You know I could be just like you!**_

_**I could be fake!**_

_**I could be stupid!**_

_**You know I could be just like you!'**_

Shadow began to do a few no handed cartwheels and executed a few kicks and punches into the air. Her audience could tell by the way she moved that she was lost in her own world as she listened to the song. She was no longer moving to the music of the song, she was moving to the lyrics. Everyone was impressed by her preformance that they didn't speak to one another for fear of breaking her concentration.

_**'You thought you'd sit inside me.**_

_**You were only in my way!**_

_**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you!**_

_**You thought you were there to guide me,**_

_**You were only in my way!**_

_**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you!**_

_**You thought you were there to guide me!**_

_**You were only in my way!**_

_**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you!'**_

Shadow looked like she was dancing with the song instead of actually training. After executing a few more cartwheels, a small group of people started gathering around her original audience. They all clapped and cheered for her to keep going. A few people standing around Duke began gossiping about the young fighter as they watched the show.

"She's such a talented fighter. I've seen her in the All-Valley under 18 championships." One of the spectators said in an observing tone.

"Yeah, she fought against her brother in the semi-final, didn't she? I heard it was a tie if her brother hadn't knocked her out of the circle." The other viewer said as she watched the little girl preform a roundhouse kick into the air.

"It's a shame her brother was hurt in the second round though. I thought he had a pretty good chance of winning, but with a tyrant like Rocky. There was no chance of a clean fight." The first watcher said in a displeased tone. "I hope Shadow enters the All-Valley Tournament in a few weeks and puts and end to his ways."

Duke couldn't help but listen to the spectators' conversation, and get even more curious about the girl's life, as he kept his eyes trained on her.

_**'I could be cold!**_

_**I could be ruthless!**_

_**You know I couldn't be just like you!**_

_**I could be weak!**_

_**I could be senseless!**_

_**You know I couldn't be just like you!'**_

Shadow sighed and got into a praying mantis position as she faked a left kick and rotated her hip to strike nothing with the right leg. Once she landed, she pulled a perfect left sword-hand block to an invisible opponent, before she did a back flip and jumped into a perfect crane position. Her preformance really attrached more people to the crowd. Getting more and more into the song as she kept fighting.

_**'You thought you'd sit inside me.**_

_**You were only in my way!**_

_**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you!**_

_**You thought you were there to guide me,**_

_**you were only in my way!**_

_**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you!**_

_**You thought you were there to guide me.**_

_**You were only in my way!**_

_**You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you!'**_

Mr. Kemo stood silently beside Duke and Nosdive and noticed Shadow was trying her hardest not to let the growing crowd stares as she continued to fight with her invisible opponent. He took note in how angry and harsh her movements were becoming and sighed in defeat.

"Shadow's totally into this training thing!" Nosedive said in wonder as he placed his elbows on his legs and watched Shadow move furiously around in the sand, kicking some up with a few kicks and cartwheels.

"Yeah, but it's like she's mad about something." Duke agreed as he watched Shadow execute a harsh spinning kick, kicking up sand as she stared past the crowd before her.

"That because Shadow-san venting anger." Mr. Kemo said in an all-knowing tone as he kept watching her move around in the sand.

"Huh?" Nosedive said, tearing his gaze from the girl to look up at the old man standing beside him.

"Shadow-san get angry and trains to release anger. She becoming very calm person." Mr. Kemo explained, not taking his eyes off the girl fighting in the sand. "When Shadow-san brother died, she do only thing she know best."

"And what's that?" Nosedive asked as he looked back at Shadow, whom was now in a crane stance for a brief moment before she jumped into the air and landed a fiery five swords technique; focusing on her training and trying to block out the large crowd before her.

"Training. Ray-san used to practice with Shadow-san every day. When boy die, girl didn't know what to do. Kemo told Shadow-san to train and keep going. Shadow-san no fight back, Shadow-san did as Kemo told." Mr. Kemo said in a saddened tone as he watched Shadow train. "Just one problem though..."

"Oh, yeah," Duke said in a curious tone as he took his turn to take his eyes off the girl to look at her guardian for an explaination.

_**'On my own.**_

_**'cause I can't take living with you!**_

_**I'm alone!**_

_**So I don't turn out like you want me to!'**_

Just as the song was finishing up, Siege and Wrieth appeared in front of the girl with a few fighter drones; scaring everyone on the beach. The old-looking saurian fired a fire ball at the rails to knock some disbris down to scare the crowd off.

"Come 'ere, you little brat!" Siege demanded as he began watching the girl slowly back away in fear. "We ain't gonna hurt ya... much."

The girl snapped out of her fear and got into her previous crane position. "If you want me; then come get me, but I warn you," she warned in a deadly tone as she glared angrily at her opponents, "I'll take you out if you ever step to me!" She screamed as she stared coldly at the large lizard before her.

The tall skinny one clutched his staff and turned to Siege with warning. "Tread causiously, Siege. This one is nothing to sneeze at." He warned in a grim tone as he watched Shadow stare them down with a dangerous look in her eyes.

Siege looked over at Wrieth for a moment and back at Shadow with disbelief as he charged for the girl. "How tough can a little girl be?" He asked a taboo question.

Shadow's eyes darted towards the ducks, and noticed that they were busy fighting the drones to help her, and Mr. Kemo was helping the ducks. She looked back at her enemy and flipped backwards; just out of his reach. She bent her knees slightly and jumped when Siege got into arms' reach and landed on his shoulders; thrusting her legs behind her back, and sending them both to the ground.

Siege pushed himself up on his hands and shook his head repeatedly before he slowly gained his feet and growled angrily at the girl before him; his tail swinging around madly behind him in anger.

Shadow got into another position and smirked wickedly at her enemy; almost daring him to make another move against her. "You're out of your mind if you think you can beat me with just brute force, monami!"

Wrieth took his place beside the shorter saurian and prepared a fireball in his boney hand. "Then let's see how you fair against me, young one." He said in a confident tone as he threw the ball, aiming at her chest.

Shadow relaxed her posture, and formed an 'x' with her arms as she prepared for the oncoming attack. The fire blast knocked her right into the ocean, completely soaking her with the salty water. She jumped back onto the land with a look of pure rage in her eyes as she stared at her opponents; panting and dripping wet from the crashing waves.

"Shadow!" Duke roared angrily as he made quick work of his two opponents, and rushing towards the saurians next to the ocean.

"Oh man! This blows!" Nosedive shouted in protest as the drones he was fighting forced him back against the concrete wall. "Where's the guys when ya need 'em?"

Mr. Kemo finished his problem and rushed over to help the left wing, making it eaiser for Nosedive to dominate the robots with his puck blasters. Once they finished demolishing their foes, the duck and human went over towards Duke whom was having trouble fending against the two saurians.

Nosedive fired a few shots at the saurians. "What do these creep-a-sore-eyes want with Shadow?" He asked in a frusterated tone as he glared angrily at them.

"Beats me, unless they wanna pull a Stanely on her." Duke suggested with his sword blocking and defending against Wrieth's firey sword.

A few more drones teleported in and began going after the trio with full force. Things were not looking good for them as they began backing away.

"We need help!" Mr. Kemo shouted in a paniced tone as he panted with near- exhaustion. "Must not let them get Shadow-san!"

"But what do they want wit her? I mean, what good would it do them?" Duke asked in an equally paniced tone as he took a step sideways towards Shadow; ready to charge Siege if he got too close.

Siege returned a few shots and made his way towards the girl whom was standing still with her head humg low. She looked like a lifeless doll by standing there. Then, with one quick movement, she lifted her head up to reveal glowing red eyes.

"You've come before me like countless others," She said in a now demonic tone as she glared hatefully at the saurians, "and like others, I will still dance upon your graves..." And with a bright, white flash, Shadow's body turned itself in a large wolf...


	5. Conflict of Interest

Chapter Five: Conflict of Interest

PW: I just want to say something to my fans-  
N: Well, spill it already! I wanna go back to me comic books!  
M: (Smacks Nosedive over the head) Will you stop moaning and let her talk! She has something to say!  
D: I think it's important if Nobody wants to tell her readers something before the story.  
PW: Thanks, Duke. Anyway, I want to tell everyone who reads my stories to keep in mind that I put my personal feelings into the stories I write. It's my way of escaping reality. It's like reading a book that actually PUTS me in the story. It may not be a whole lot, but if it helps one person feel better the way it helps me, then that's all I want. I actually hope to complete my story, and perhaps get it published in an actual book. Who knows? I might even be able to give the ones who created MDTAS an idea for a second season or something?

W: That's a pretty tall order, Nobody. You sure you're up to rise to the challenge?

PW: Who knows? I hope so! And I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who read and enjoyed my story! I hope you like my other two just as much as you like this one!

N: Is that all? Let's get on with this story!

PW: (turns to Duke with a polite smile) Since this story is already being put up on the web, would you do the honors?  
D: (smiles and turns to the audience) Nobody owns nothing that revolves around the world of MDTAS. The only she owns is Shadow, Mr. Kemo, and any other Ocs she might put into the story. Please enjoy the story!

_I'm at my best when I'm put to the test._

_All the days of losing faith in myself are long gone!_

_Prepare for the that I'm going to throw it all back at you!_

_I've got your number now..._

_And now, _

_I'm coming after you..._

Duke blinked his good eye to make sure he hasn't lost mind. He opened his eye once again, and saw that the little girl he thought of as a gentle fighter had transformed into a very large wolf. Nope, he wasn't losing his mind. Shadow really was a wolf now, and was now snarling wickedly at the warloards.

The wolf was as gray as Duke's feathers, with a black mask over its face; reminding him of a raccoon he saw wondering around the alley behind the pond. Its front paws looked as though they had been dipped in brown paints to the ankles, and re-dipped into black paint. Its hind legs looked as though someone had dipped them in brown paint that faded up to its knees, as it stood in attack position; ready to strike at any given chance. Least of all, its tail was pure white at the very end and always had a white blaze on its chest. Its ears were white with faded gray spots. Despite the odd color the wolf was, its eyes were the most alluring feature it owned.

The wolf's eyes were duel colored; just like Shadow's before she morphed. Unlike the human girl's left gray eye, the wolf's left eye was a pure blue color; reminding the two fighting ducks of the ocean behind her. The right eye was as red as Mallory's hair.

The two ducks stumbled backwards, and fell flat on their rears in shock. They just couldn't grasp the fact the little girl that they all grew attached to had such a big secret! It was safe to say in the least that there was a whole new side to the girl that she had been keeping from the ducks and possible the entire world as fas as they know!

"Whoa..." Nosedive said in a stunned tone, as he blinked repeatedly at the now evil-looking wolf in front of the ocean.

"You seein' what I'm seein'?" Duke asked in an equally stunned tone as he stood dumbfounded at the newly changed girl.

Mr. Kemo gasped and took a quick step towards the wolf. "No, Shadow-san!" He called out in fear. "Must not let go!"

The wolf's eyes shifted towards the Japanese man and the ducks before it turned its eyes at the saurians. Just as a large wave burst into the air, it charged for the fat red-scaled saurian; launching itself on his back.

"Ahhh!" Siege howled in agony as he began to dance around. "Get it off! Get it off!"

Just as Siege was prancing about, the rest of the team rolled up on the boardwalk. They all stared in disblief at the sight before them. They didn't know whether to laugh at Siege, or shoot the thing on his back.

"What the feathers is that?" Mallory asked in a surprised tone as she looked at the scene before her as they quickly joined the other two and Mr. Kemo on the beach, weapons and fist raised for any other surprises.

"Nosedive, what's going on here?" Wildwing asked as he kneeled down next to him.

"It's-uh-uh," Nosedive studdered in stupify as he looked pointed from Mr. Kemo, to the wolf attacking the saurians, "It's Shadow!"

"What the-?" Wildwing blinked in confusion as he looked to Duke for an explaination.

"Did that thing hurt Shadow or something?" Mallory demanded in shock as she took aim for the beast between the saurians.

Duke shook his head and grabbed for Mallory's ankle, and pulled her down to the ground. "It is Shadow!" He shouted frantically, "Trust me!"

"Duke-san is right." Mr. Kemo spoke up in a declarative tone as he faced the ducks, "Shadow-san is wolf!"

"What are you talking about? How can that be Shadow?" Mallory asked in outrage; kicking at Duke's hands. "She's just a normal teenaged girl!"

Mr. Kemo sighed and shook his head. He looked back at the girl with pure worry. "Shadow-san never human." He answered in a frightened tone as he watched the wolf now chomp down on Wrieth's arm before he could fire a fireball at it.

"But dat's still Shadow, right?" Duke demanded once he snapped back to reality as he stood up and marched over to the old man.

"Hai, Shadow-san, Shadow-san. Same, same." He answered nervously. "But Shadow-san never human."

Duke growled in frusteration and towered over Mr. Kemo. "How is she not human?"

"Duke! Stand down!" Wildwing ordered in a firm tone; grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

Mr. Kemo gave Duke a straight face as he fixed his glasses. "Shadow-san motha was unable to give birth till fifteen year ago." He explained; trying to find the right words, "Twins died before born."

Wildwing looked over and seen the wolf latch onto Siege's arm as he tried to fire at his teammates. He looked back at the others with frantic eyes.

"But why does ol' lizard-lips want Shadow if she can just turn into a dog?" Tanya asked in a paniced tone as she cleaned her glasses and blinked over at the fight before her.

"Our main concern his getting those dino-creeps off her back!" Wildwing said as he turned to face the fight; taking aim with his arm.

Mr. Kemo grabbed Wildwing's arm. "Take care of Shadow-san, Wildwing-san." He said as threw a smoke pellet to the ground and faded into the smoke. "Be back when safe!"

"Wait! What do you mean?" Wildwing called out as he watched the old man disappear; his mind buzzing with the information he just received.

Nosedive fired a pucklauncher past his older brother's head; getting his attention quickly. "Don't slack now, bro! We gotta help Shadow!"

Wildwing shook his head and added his own pucks to the berage, forcing their enemy back.

Once Siege was finally able to throw the wolf off his arm, he looked over and seen pucks flying pass his head. Wrieth was having a similar fate as he dodged and returned fire. The larger saurian looked down at his weapon, and saw that it was damaged.

"We're gonna get creamed! Let's go!" He called out to his comrade as he teleported away.

Wrieth looked at the ducks with a hated glare. "Have a really rotten day..." He said before her followed Siege's example and disappeared.

The wolf stood up with its tail and fur raised, snarling and shaking as she stood. The ducks raied their weapons at it, ready to fire if any sudden moves occurred.

While Duke debated on what to do, he looked into the wolf's eyes and saw something different about them he hadn't noticed before. They looked almost human. It was almost like Shadow hadn't changed at all! Duke didn't know what to think.

"Shadow?" Duke asked in a worried tone as he lowered his sabre, and took a slight step forward.

The wolf looked over at the gray mallord and relaxed its body. And just like last time, there was another bright white flash, the girl took the place of the wolf. With a sudden yelp of pain, Shadow fell to the ground. She was lying on her left side with her left arm lying under her body with her palms facing upwards. Her right arm was bent close to her chest with her palms facing upwards, as well.

Duke quickly kneeled down before her, and turned her over. He pulled her upper body into his lap, and lightly tapped her face; trying to wake her up.

"Common, sweetheart," He said in a worried tone, "wake up."

Shadow gasped, and opened her eyes, like she had just come back to life. Her eyes opened up to reveal that they had returned to the pair that the ducks have known her to possess.

"Duke?" She asked in a weakened tone as she hissed in pain, and clutched her right side.

Duke looked down, and saw a bit of blood through Shadow's hand. He looked back down at her and gasped. "Oh, no!" He cried out in panic as he held her closer.

"Let's take her to a hospital!" Nosedive shouted in worry as he looked to his older brother for help.

"Or better yet, the city pound!" Mallory cried in scarcasim as she stood still in shock.

"We'll take her back to the pond!" Wildwing hollared firmly over the two younger ducks. "The saurians are after her and her guardian split on her!"

Duke stood with Shadow in his arms as he quickly joined the rest of the group and they all ran after the migrator. Once inside, Tanya ordered Duke to place the girl on the gourney and quickly pushed him away so she could begin working on helping the injured girl.

After a few quick turns, they immediately took Shadow to the sick bey and with the help of Mallory, Tanya pushed and locked the rest of the team out of the infirmary. They had to help the poor girl, Duke and Nosedive wouldn't be too happy if the two females didn't help their friend...

After a few hours, the male-half of thee team were relieved when the doors finally opened to reveal Mallory walking out with slightly bloodied clothes, and all color drained from her face.

Wildwing crossed his arms over his chest. "What's wrong, Mallory?" He asked in a worried tone as he watched her close the door behind her, and leaned against it.

"Well, Wildwing," Mallory said in a disturbed tone, as she rested her left leg behind her right, "I've got some good new, bad news, and... scary news."

"Aw, man, we never get a break this early in the story!" Nosedive whined as he slammed his back against the wall across the narrow hall.

Wildwing ignored his younger brother's complaints and looked back over at the female. "What's the bad news?" He asked in a dry tone as he rubbed his eyes with his tumb.

"The bad news is she's had some major trauma to her entire body." Mallory explained in a defeated tone. "Tanya thinks that it might have something to do with that little dog thing she did."

"But she's gonna be alright?" Duke insisted firmly, eyeing the younger duck before him.

Mallory glared at Duke for a moment and nodded. "That's the good news." She answered in a bitter tone as she folded her arms over her chest.

"If that's the good 'n' bad news, I can't wait to hear the scary news!" Nosedive moaned as he slapped his head; and rolled his eyes at the female across the hall.

"The scary news is Shadow has scars all over her body." Mallory said in a displeased tone as she glared angrily at Nosedive.

"Didn't she say she wasn't the most _graceful_?" Wildwing asked in a thoughtful tone as he looked to the door in worry.

Mallory shook her head in reply. "Negative." She said in a robotic tone as she looked up at Wildwing straight in the face. "The scars on her body looked like a one-sided struggle."

"What do you mean?" Duke asked in a darkened tone as he stepped towards the female duck against the door.

"Uh- we have to let Shadow answer those questions." Tanya said in an awkward tone as she opened the door, quickly apologising to Mallory once she stumbled backwards.

"Is she going to be okay, Tanya?" Wildwing asked in a slightly worried tone as he looked to the blonde female joining the conversation.

Tanya snorted and nodded. "Well, it depends on how much she gets her kicks out of being hospitalized." She answered with a slight joke. "Uh-she'll be fine once she wakes up."

"How long will that be?" Wildwing asked in a curious tone as he nodded to Tanya in understanding.

"Who knows? She'll proably wake up sore and thirsty, but she'll be awake." Tanya answered in a sympathizing tone as she looked back at the room where Shadow lie sleeping. "It'd be cruel to ya know wake her up now."

"So what do we do with her now?" Mallory asked in a puzzled tone, lifting a feathered finger up to her beak.

Wildwind had also been wondering about what their next move was. Then finally, after weighing his options he came up with a plan. "She has to stay here with us. At least until Mr. Kemo comes back. He told me to protect her before he disappered."

"Sounds good ta me." Duke stated in a mind-set tone, looking at everyone with firm eyes; daring anyone to question their leader's decision...

N: Wait. You're going to leave us hanging just like that? What is in your head, girl? I'm going crazy and it's not even getting to the good part!  
PW: Wildwing, you better get that little brother of yours or you won't have one by the end of this story!  
S: Hey, leave Nobody alone! She's suffering writer's block right now, and besides, it's christmas!

N: (shurgs) I just wanna get to see what happens! It's driving me insane in the membrane!  
PW: Sorry, but this next chapter will shead some more light on things... I hope.  
N: What do you mean, "I hope"?  
M: (smacks Nosedive over the head again) She means that she can't read minds, and may or may not be able to answer anyone's questions about Shadow!

PW: Thanks for embarrassing me, Mallory. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! The next one will be a better one, I promise to try and answer all your questions in the next one!

Thanks for the reviews!

It makes me happy that someone out there really likes my stories!

Please feel free to send me any ideas you might have to make my future chapters!

And remember:

Smile till you stop...


	6. Losing Ground

Chapter Six: Losing Ground

N: Finally, some answers! It's about time you told us what happened!  
PW: I'm sorry, dive, but I had work to deal with! It's not like I wanted to leave you behind or anything!  
D: **Smacks the two's heads together and walks away.  
**W: oooookkkkkkaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy. Um, I guess that means one of us is going to have to do the disclaimer. **looks over to see Tanya and Mallory hiding behind Grin** Uhhh- I guess that means I have to do it...  
W: **Clears his throat and puts his hands behind his back** The Paper Wolf owns only Shadow and all the other characters not apart of MDTAS. We all belong to Disney and to whomever else was apart in our makings.  
TPW: **runs over and waves to the others** I was awake first! I won! Ha-ha! Maybe next time, divey-boy! Anyhow, please enjoy my story. I hope it is up to your standards!

_I should've known something was wrong,_

_from the start!_

_The devil's on my back!_

_It's easier with my friends by my side!_

_It's so much better than being alone!_

_I won't give up!_

_It's never as hard as it seems!_

_Everything is never going to be the same again!_

It had been a few hours since little Shadow had been rendered unconscious, and Tanya had been correct about when the girl would awaken. She didn't, however, know just _how_ she was going to go about coming back to the realm of the dead.

The girl had shot up in the bed; screaming an uneartly animalistic sound ripping out of her throat. Shadow was suffering from a nightmare that was so unreal, it had to be true!

Shadow leaned forward into her stomach, and panted deeply for breath. She gasped and held her chest tightly.

""Uh- Hey, Shadow, turn it down, will ya?" A shrude voice called out from her side; taking firm hold upon her arm. "Some of us still have eardrumbs, ya know?"

Shadow looked up and saw that Duke had been the one that had the grip on her, and called out to her. She panted, and grabbed her throat in pain, coughing and gasping for breath.

"Wha-where-am- I?" She asked in a slightly disoriented tone, trying to control herself, as she looked around the room for any other surprises that may be in store for her. "What happened?" Her fears were confirmed when she spotted everyone surrounding her with worried and shocked expressions on their faces.

"You're back at the pond, Shadow. Don't you remember what happened?" Wildwing asked in a brotherly tone, narrowing his eyes at the girl through his mask.

Shadow looked over at the leader for a moment and sighed in defeat. "I remember it all. And I'm sorry I had to show you my..._wild side_... I bet it wasn't that pretty."

"We've been wondering about the origins of that ability, little friend." Grin spoke up in a gentle tone, his face betraying no emotions.

Shadow sighed and relaxed her features. "I suspect my behavior has also brought up questions for the lot of you, as well, then?" She asked in a formal tone, not looking up to the group of ducks before her.

"How'd you know that?" Mallory asked in a demanding tone; placing her hands on her hips.

Wildwing placed a firm hand on her shoulders. "Ease off, Mallory." He told her in a warning tone. He looked over at the injured with concerned eyes. "Let's take it all from the top: How are you able to turn into a wolf?"

Shadow's shoulders tensed up and her clenched her fists tightly around the blanket covered her tiny form. "It all started in New Orleans, and it has yet to stop..." She replied in a hurting tone, not looking up from her knees.

"What do ya mean, sweetheart? Is it your hometown?" Duke asked in a fatherly tone; taking a seat next to the injured.

Shadow shook her head in response and looked up at Duke. "I'm from New York. Just your everyday on the block... I came from a family of three: Me, my brother, and my mother. Ray and I were talented twins. I was a figure skater, and he was into karate, we competited in tournaments, having fun like we were in some kind of play, but with the Underground Tournament... for lack of a better word, _incident_, our play had come to an end."

Nosedive blinked in confusion and folded his arms over his chest plate and leaned forward towards the girl. "You mean that shooting when you two were in middle school?"

Shadow tensed up at his question, and looked up at him with rage in her eyes. "It goes back futher than that, Nosedive!" She protested angrily at the young player before her. "We're weren't the only talented athletes on the streets! There were a few kids that were just as good at it as we were!"

"So, tell us what happened." Wildwing ordered in a firm tone; folding his arms over his chest to try and intimidate the girl; telling her to calm down as he stood beside his little brother.

Shadow took a few breaths and calmed herself down, and started telling them her history once again. "I don't really know what _exactly_ happened, but if I had to guess, I'd say they couldn't handle not being the best, so they decided to blow away the rest." She told them in a low tone; as if she were embarrassed by the thought.

"So they brought guns to school to kill you and Ray?" Mallory asked in shock, not belieiving what she was hearing.

Shadow looked over at the tiny girl and looked down at her hands. "Your guess is as good as mine, but what I _do_ know is that they are either behind bars, or in the looney bin with my mom." She told them in a sad tone; letting her age finally catch up with her.

"What about your mom, why is she locked up?" Nosedive asked in a curious tone; forgetting all about his slowly rising anger at Shadow's riddles.

"Ray and I were badly hurt in the shooting. I managed to survive a shot to the hip and shoulder, but Ray, he- wasn't so lucky. He was D.O.A. … There was nothing the doctors could've done to save him... " Shadow answered obiedently, looking forward with an angry glare towards the wall beside Duke. "And that's how it started... _The Start of Things_..."

" "The Start of Things"?" Duke asked, feeling sympathetic for the girl sitting before him on the bed. "Whatdaya mean, sweet'eart?"

Shadow kept her eyes trained on the wall, this time her expression had changed to a creepy hollow one. "Mom went insane that her favorite twin was murdered. She had tried to kill me by stabbing me with a scaple." She answered in an bitter tone; pulling the bottom of her shirt up to reveal a horrible star-shaped scar on her well-toned stomach. She let go of her shirt, and watched it fall obeidently towards its natural place once again.

Mallory growled in frusteration and pushed past the youngest duck, and grabbed the girl's shoulders in anger. "Why didn't you just come out with it from the start?" She yelled slightly, narrowing her eyes at the girl's lack of response. "We're just trying to help you!"

Shadow's head had turned to Mallory with glowing red eyes. "It's too late for me, Mallory..." She told the female duck in a darkened hiss, as she bared her fangs at her; looking through her eyes as if she wasn't there. "I'm already dead..."

Mallory gasped and let go of Shadow's arms, and stumbled backwards from the girl. "Wha-wha-what _are_ you?" She asked in a hushed whisper; not daring to raise her voice any higher.

Shadow's eyes returned to normal and looked back to the wall before her. "Some strange men dressed in black came to the hospital and offered to take me to another one; saying something about my safety or something. I don't know." She told the group in the familiar haunting tone, not caring for what the others may think of her.

"Some creeps took you away from a hospital? Why?" Wildwing asked; not believing what he was hearing. "There's got to be more to the story than that, right?"

Shadow nodded, and tears forming in the corners from her eyes, her face betraying no emotion. " "Allyce Sohma" was who I was when I was taken to the organization, but once Mr. Kemo set me free, I had to become "Shadow Honda"."

"What organization? Did they do something to you then?" Wildwing asked; pulling up a chair beside his brother as if telling her that he wasn't going to leave until she talked to him.

"They hurt me, Wildwing. They- they did something unnatural to me." Shadow's voice now trembled, as she turned her head to stare at Wildwing with fear in her eyes. "They did these painful experiments on me!"

"Doesn't that sound familiar..." Mallory said in a sarcastic tone; rolling her eyes while she thought about the nasty Dr. Protorious.

"Is that what they did to you?" Duke asked in a fatherly tone; placing a caring hand on the girl's.

Shadow's tears began spilling out of her eyes, and she hugged her knees. "They wanted to create a perfect fighter to fight in wars." She told them through her knees. "They had experimented on their own soldiers, but they were much too old, and their bodies already knew how to reject anything that enters their bodies that shouldn't belong in them... So they turned to the next best thing..."

"Children!" Wildwing shouted in outrage, rolling his hands into tight fists.

"Our bodies were still developing and adjusting to our growing habits and immune systems. Ray and I had near-perfect bodies due to our all our training... we were the best ones for the experiments..." Shadow said in a sad tone. "They never got to Ray on the account that he was killed, but they got me. So their experiment wasn't a total failure."

"That's why you're able to turn into that wolf!" Tanya said in a realizing tone; her eyes lighting up with hopes of guessing right. "They genetically altered your body, didn't they?"

Shadow nodded and looked down at her knees once again. "That's not all they did, Tanya, so you're not wrong in all of this." She told the blonde female with a bitter tone. "They twisted my body to fit their own design. A design that involved animals. And it's because of that, that I can _hear_ everything, _smell_ everything... and _see_ everything. My reflexes are sharper than normal human standards, I'm more agile and a whole load of other nifty surprises. Like phasing into a wolf."

"So you're basically like something from one of Nosedive's comicbooks?" Mallory asked in a sceptiable tone, still not believing everything Shadow is telling her.

Shadow blinked and looked up at the ceiling in wonder. "Huh? I never thought of it like that." She said to herself before she looked over at the red haired mallard with a blunt stare. "That's pretty much sums it up, yeah."

"Then what about Mr. Kemo?" Nosedive asked; getting serious long after she told them what had happened to her. "How does he fit in to all of this?"

Shadow sighed and looked back up at the ceiling and began thinking about her answer before she turned back over to the group with a lazy smile. "He was the leading scientist who took my humanity away." She answered in an honest tone; making everyone slap their heads at her response.

"So you're hiding from this "Organization" with a man who conviently happens to be one of the men who turned you into- whatever it is that you are now?" Wildwing asked; not believing her story for a second.

Shadow nodded and jumped out of the bed and landed in the middle of the group; startling them out of their questions. "Mr. Kemo was a friend of the family from the start of everything." She told them in a fierce tone; baring her fangs in her master's defense. "He was our family doctor, and fought with my dad in the war. My father's last wish was for him to return and take care of us, and he did, up until the time... well, let's just call it, _"that time"_. He had no idea that Ray and I were shot and taken to a hospital where The Organization had ordered him to use my body to create their "perfect fighter"... It was a nightmare that none of us could wake up from, and when I was awakened after so long, he spirited me away by faking the death of the talented, "Allyce"."

"Wait- you just said that you were awakened. How long were you alseep?" Wildwing asked in a firm tone; looking at Shadow for a straight answer.

"An' why were ya asleep in da first place?" Duke chimed in with a fatherly tone; giving Shadow a look that said that he was tired of her playing around with her answers.

"In order to recover from the final stages of the experiments, I had to remain inactive for an extended period of time. I was asleep for nearly fifteen years." She told them in a blunt tone; not understanding why everyone was getting frusterated.

"So you're fully recovered and all that? There were no side effects other than your abilites." Tanya asked in a wondering tone; wanting to know more about the girl and what other tricks she had.

"Well, yeah, I'm fully recovered, and yes, I do have at the very least two special abilies besides phasing." Shadow told them in a quiet tone. "Though the healing trick takes a lot out of my body. But there are drawbacks to everything I do."

"Such as?" Grin said in a firm tone; making Shadow flinch in the process.

"The healing trick takes a lot out of me. It takes up more energy to heal myself than it does to phase. When something gets damaged or broken, like a leg or arm, my body becomes paralyzed and the healing trick kicks in. If no one bothers me, then I should be alright in the next day. It'd be like nothing happened. The only problem is that I'd be so tired that I'd just go back to sleep." She replied in a slightly nervous tone; rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

There was a moment of silence that fell upon the room that made everyone feel a bit awkward. What could they say to make the girl feel better? They never heard such a story such as the one the ducks had just heard in all their times! It was completely new to them!

Duke looked over at the girl with sad eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, sweet'eart."

Shadow gave the oldest duck her bravest smile in return. "It's not like you had anything to do with it, Duke..." She told him in a soft tone getting up from the bed. "I have no use for apologies... not anymore..."

"Okay, so you're a whacked out science project." Nosedive chimed in a hot tone, "But that doesn't explain why ol' lizard lips would want you."

"Dive does have a good point." Wildwing stated, as he rubbed his lower beak in thought. "Do you have any ideas why Dragonus would want you?"

Shadow blinked up at Wildwing with surprise. "I have no idea, Wildwing." She told them in a blunt tone. "I mean, unless he wants to try to start a freak show, your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, he won't be getting anywhere near you with us by your side." Mallory stated in a final tone; folding her arms over her chest in a defiance.

"Mr. Kemo told me to take care of you until he comes back." Wildwing added with a hardened tone. "Which brings me to the next question: Why would he abandon you like that? If you two are as close as you say, he'd be here right now."

Shadow blinked up at the white feathered duck, before she broke out into a fit of laughter. "He always does that. He's probably just trying to cover our tracks to hide from The Organazation. Or maybe he's going after Dragonus. Not even I know what's going through his mind sometimes."

"So he does this often?" Tanya asked in a curious tone; scratching her head.

Shadow shurgged her shoulders in resonse. "He only does this when we move somewhere."

Just as Wildwing was about to voice his opinion, Shadow began stretching her arms, and cracking her knuckles. Her knuckles made a sickening "cracking", and made him flinch.

"That sounds wrong..." Nosedive stated in a disguested tone as he stared at the girl in shock; knowing that she shouldn't be standing much less stretching right at that moment.

Shadow's tiny form tensened, and she sat down quickly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." She said quietly; looking as sorry as she could. "It's a habit."

Wildwing's features softened, and relexed his shoulders. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" He asked in a brotherly tone; trying to lighten the mood.

Shadow smiled at the goalie, and held up her hands in mock surrender. "I guess I don't know when to quit." She said in a joking tone, as she gave them her best smile.

Duke chuckled at the girl's reply and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Well, since you're feelin' betta, why don't we go down to da Mess Hall and find you something to eat."

Shadow shook her head in response, but her stomach roared in protest. "I guess I really am hungry..." She said in a nervous tone; scratching the side of her head.

Tanya made a funny sound and stood in front of the girl in protest. "You shouldn't be moving around at all! You should be, ya know, takin' uh dirtnap or, uh- sumthin'."

Shadow looked to Wildwing with pleading eyes. "But I feel fine!" She argued with the audience. "Other than being hungry and being sore, but that's the best way to work out my muscles when they feel sore or achy!"

Duke placed a friendly hand on the girl's shoulder, and made her look up. " 'ey, don' worry 'bout that, guys," he reasoned in a logical tone; giving them a careless smile, "I'll keep an eye on her!"

Wildwing looked from Duke, then to Shadow, and sighed in defeat; knowing he wasn't going to win this argument. "Alright, but if you start to feel sick or anything, then it's straight back here. Got it?" He ordered in a final tone; sounding more like an older brother than a leader.

Shadow sighed in relief and nodded her head to the white feathered duck in front of her. "Like Mr. Kemo always says when I make a promise to him: "A true word needs no promise."." She said in a lightened tone; walking over to Duke, whom was now waiting for her at the exit.

Meanwhile, back at the poorly disguised Raptor, Dragonus was staring down the two henchmen known as Siege and Wraith. Smoke was pouring from his nostrals, and his eyes begun glowing a bright red with anger written all over his hideous face.

"How could you not capture a mere girl?" He demanded in ourtage, as he slamed a hunter drone into a nearby wall; shattering it on impact.

"That "mere girl" drew a rather large crowd, my lord." Siege said in defense, shaking with fear running through his ice-cold veins, as he watched sparks fly from the pitiful remains of the hunter drome lying on the floor not too far from him.

"And those accursed ducks were there watching her." Wriath added in a reasoning tone, as he lifted a finger to prove his point. "I see nothing but our own destruction in the future if we meddle with this child."

Dragonus snorted in response, and turned his back to the two failures, and looked up at the screen. "That child is the key to those wreched ducks. That's something that I can't possibly pass up." He told them in a wicked tone; giving the screen an evil smirk, as he stared up at the image of the girl.

After Duke had guided Shadow towards the Mess Hall, he noticed that she still had a slight limp in her step, but brushed it off. He was still shocked about the nasty little secret, but he was still attached to the little girl. He had found a daughter in her that he wished he had the chance to have back home.

The Flashblade brothers had found a little sister in her as well. Nosedive had really enjoyed the little girl's company and thought it quite amusing to see the girl show off her skills in front of everyone a few nights back. Wildwing was a bit startled when Duke and Nosedive had told them that the large wolf was like his whole logical thinking had all gone South. He knew the girl wasn't like any normal girls, and he was prepared for whatever she was going through, but he was never ready for the tragedy that she had revealed to them! It was like Shadow had become a whole new person to him!

After Shadow had something in her stomach, she found herself wandering around the stadium with Duke. They had been talking for a bit. Duke kept asking her questions about her life with Mr. Kemo. The two just sat together in the stands.

"I really don't know what else to say, Duke," Shadow told the oldest duck in an irritated tone; giving him a slight glare, "I've already told you all what I know. And I don't really enjoy talking about it!"

Duke held up his hands in defeat and gave the girl a look of shock. "Whoa! Take it easy, sweet'eart! I was jus' curious!" He said in defense, not sure why the girl was suddenly acting like a normal teenaged girl. She was so calm and graceful back in the medical wing, but now she was behaving just like a daughter whose father was getting onto her like she got in trouble.

"I never asked for any of this! It's not my fault I'm a freak!" She cried in a sharp tone; glaring angrily at the ice in front of her.

Duke ran a feathered hand through his hair and glared at the girl beside him. "Now, I neva said you were a freak! Personally, I think dare's nuttin' wrong wit ya!"

Shadow blinked at the gray mallard for a moment; before she looked back at the ice with a blank stare. "No one's ever said that to me before." She whispered in a quiet tone; blinking away tears of relief from her eyes. "Thanks, Duke. And I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. I was put of line." She apologized in a shameful tone, not looking at the duck next to her.

Duke looked down at the girl for a moment, and then turned his attention back to the ice in front of them. An idea struck him like a ton of bricks. He looked at the girl with a happy smile.

" 'ey, you said you were a figua skata, eh?" He asked in a friendly tone, giving her a devious smile.

Shadow looked over at Duke with a curious gaze. "Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I haven't touched the ice since Ray... well, you know." She answered in a disappointing tone.

Duke jumped up on his feet and grabbed Shadow's hands; pulling her to her feet. "Well, let's see if ya still got it!"

Shadow blinked up at the duck in surprise. "But-!"

Duke ignored her protests and pulled her out of the stadium, and into their lockeroom. "Aw, com'on! It won' kill ya ta try, would it?" He asked in a playful tone. "You're already dressed in warm clothes, and it's not like we don' have any gear for ya ta use! What have ya got ta lose?"

Shadow, being the highly advanced fighter that she was, had caught onto what Duke was getting at, and gave up. "Alright, fine. But don't laugh if I fall down."

Duke smiled in satisfaction. "Neva crossed my mind." He told her as he pushed her into the lockeroom. "Now, let's go find ya some of Mallory's hockey gear and see what ya can do."

TPW: Well, I guess that's all my creativity has for this chapter...

N: That's some messed up life you put Slim through.

TPW: What? Every heart has its own pain.

W: That's true, but I still wonder what Dragonus wants with her.

S: You all do realise I'm right here, right?

TPW: I'm sorry, Shadow, but it had to be done. Otherwise, how would the ducks take care of you? Wildwing would make Klegghorn take you into protective custody. Then you'd really be a sitting duck!

Duke: 'ey! I resemble dat remark!

TPW: Sorry! I just couldn't think of anything better to say!

Anyway, I hope this clears things up with who "Shadow" really is... Kind of... ^^; I promise Ch. 7 would be better! Any ideas would be much needed! Please let me know if this chapter makes any sense!

TPW: And a very special thanks to White Hunter! You're the best! Peace out!


	7. Fighting Dreamers

Chapter Seven: Fighting Dreamers

_I hate feeling like this!_

_There's got to be a better way!_

_Show me what it's for!_

_Tell me it's okay,_

_to use my heart and not my eyes!_

_Is there something more,_

_than what I've been headed?_

_Will I ever to see,_

_the ending to my story?_

Shadow watched with uncertainity, as Duke began looking through the empty lockers for anything that the little girl behind him could use to skate in. She knew the old duck really wanted to make her feel better, and not be angry towards him for bothering her about herself, and felt relieved at the thought of her all-time favorite hockey player hadn't thought differently about her. She had enough issues with her self-esteem already, she didn't need anymore problems.

Duke straightened his back, and turned to Shadow with a fatherly smile. " 'ey, ya think these skates will fit ya?" He asked in a slightly worried tone. "They ain't no fig-ya skater skates, but they're still broken in."

Shadow looked down at the black skates, and reached out for them. "What size are they?" She asked in an unsure tone. She turned one of the skates over in Duke's hands, and looked at the tongue. It read "8 ½". "They'll fit. What about the blades on them?" She asked, turning the skate, and ran her finger over the metallic blade. She looked up at Duke with a small smile. "They're not figure skater shoes, but they'll do." She told him in a positive tone.

Duke nodded and pushed the skates in her hands. He turned back around, and began looking through the locker one more time. He looked over his shoulder. "What else do ya need, sweet'eart?" He asked in a curious tone; watching her slip the skates over her feet.

"Does Mallory have any wrist guards?" Shadow asked as she tied her laces together; looking over at Duke with a raised brow.

Duke chuckled and held out a pair of tiny wrist guards for the girl sitting on the bench to see. "I think dese are about da only ding dat comes close to the stuff dose fig-ya skatas have." He said in a joking tone; causing Shadow to giggle. "Anythin' else?"

Shadow shook her head and held up her hands for Duke to throw the guards at her. She caught them with ease and wrapped one around her wrist; adjusting it to fit tightly around her wrist. "These are all I need. Thank you very much Duke." She said with a soft smile.

Duke shrugged his shoulders, and grabbed a pair of guards for her skates, and walked over to her. "Put these on, and let's go." He said in a fatherly tone.

Shadow looked up at Duke with a surprised expression shown on her face. "You're not going to come out on the ice with me?" She asked in a shocked tone.

Duke returned her surprised look with one of his own. "But, don'cha want da ice to yourself?"

Shadow laughed and shook her head. "I'm a guest here, Duke. And there's three reasons why you should be out there with me," she told him in a playful tone, "one reason is that since it's been so long since I've been on ice, I might fall and get hurt." She told him as she lifted a single finger up." The second one, is that it'd be more fun to have with two people out there." She added with a thought tone; holding up a second finger. "And the third reason, is that if I have to be out there making a fool of myself, you have to out there making a fool of yourself, too!"

Duke laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender, and walked over to his locker, getting his skates out of it. "The third reason isn't a real reason." He told her in a defeated tone.

"It goes with the first reason." Shadow replied in a teasing tone, as she slipped the guards over her blades and began stretching her legs while she waited for Duke to finish getting ready.

Duke stood up after he had finished tying his laces together, and tucked them into his boots. He looked over to the girl and smiled. "Alright, sweet'eart, show me whatcha got." He said in a readied tone, leading the girl out of the lockeroom...

**Scene change**

Wildwing was sitting at the large computer with a large image of Klegghorn staring down at him with an angry glare.

"What is it that you want this time, Wildwing?" The dough-nut lover asked in an irritated tone; giving the captian his nastiest glare.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, captian, but I was wondering if you can pull up anything about any unknown orginizations that go by "The Orginization"." The white feathered duck asked in a calm tone; trying be reasonable with the officer, and doing things _by the book_.

" "The Organization"?" Klegghorn asked in a confused tone, as he scratched his head. "Never heard of 'em." He replied in a lazy tone. "Are you trying to pull my leg or somethin'?" He asked in an unsure tone.

Wildwing shook his head at the man of the law. "I'm not trying to pull your leg, captian." He told him in a firm tone. "I've got a source that says this organization is real, and they're experimenting on children, and not in a good way."

Klegghorn looked down at Wildwing with anger and rage in his eyes. "Hurting children? Not in my town!" He declared in a final tone; holding a fist up to the screen.

Wildwing held up his hands in surrender. "It's not in his town, Klegghorn." He told him in a reasurring tone; trying to calm the fat down. "But it will if they're not stopped." He said in a final warning.

Klegghorn let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, Wildwing. If this organization isn't in Anahiem, then where is it?"

"My source says that it was located in New Orleans, Orlando. She also says that she's from New York. So, it's safe to assume they're spreading or have already spread up towards that way and they're coming this way like a tidal wave." Wildwing replied in a firm tone; doing his best to hold back his own anger while thinking back at what Shadow had told him.

"And your source knows this for a fact? Who is she then?" Klegghorn asked in an authoritive tone; thinking Wildwing knows more than he's telling him.

"I can't reveal any more information until I get all the facts." Wildwing replied with a final tone; telling the captain of the Anahiem Police Force that he's not going to give away his source. "And the part where I said that they're spreading is only a therory."

"For the sake of the kids, let's hope that theroy is only a therory." Klegghorn said in a worried tone; looking away for a second. He looked back down at Wildwing, and nodded. "I'll see what I can find for ya. Just don't get into trouble." He said in a warning as he pointed to the leader to prove his point.

Wildwing chuckled and saluted the human glaring at him. "Deal." And with that, Klegghorn closed the line; making the screen go black before Wildwing.

Wildwing let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and relaxed his shoulders. "I wonder what Duke and Shadow are up to." He said in a thoughtful tone, as he turned on his heel and walked out of the control room; heading towards the Galley to see how she was doing.

He didn't find either of them there and began to get confused. "They're not here? Where are those two?" He said to himself and went back out into the hall, heading towards the medical wing; half hoping he'd find her down there.

Mallory had turned a corner and noticed Wildwing walking towards her. "Hey, Wildwing. What's goin' on?" She asked in a worried tone; she said once he was standing in front of her.

"Have you seen Shadow? I thought she was with Duke in a Galley, but when I got there, niether of them were down there." Wildwing asked in a confused tone; shurgging his shoulders.

Mallory blinked at the taller duck in reply. "They were in the Galley when I was down there, then Duke said they were going up to the rink to talk." She told him in a confirming tone. "Duke is still with here, I'm sure everything is alright."

Wildwing nodded at the shorter duck and turned on his heel; heading for the rink. It must be some kind of weird 'older brother' instincts he felt towards her. He was protective over Nosedive, but there was something about the way she was crying back at the medical wing, and what she had told him that made his heart melt. And besides, she was younger than Nosedive, somebody has to keep an eye on her...

**Scene Change** (PW: My symbols won't work so I have to use something, eh?)

Duke pushed himself onto the ice and skated towards the center of the rink. He executed a perfect snowplow stop and turned towards the girl with expecting eyes.

"Alright, kid." He said in a playful tone, giving Shadow a smirk. "Show me whatcha got."

Shadow smirked and jumped onto the ice and stroked skated as fast as she could towards the old duck. "Don't move!" She shouted in a demanding tone as she prepelled herself towards the duck.

Duke followed the girl's order, and watched as she skated towards him. He was frozen in fear when he saw she was getting closer. He jumped and watched as Shadow made a sharp move with her hips.

He was stunned beyond belief when she darted away towards the other end of the rink, and skated back towards him, and began skating laps around him.

"How'd ya do dat?" Duke asked in an amazed tone, being impressed with Shadow's preformance.

Shadow stood proudly at the duck before her and smirked playfully at him. "And to think I never paid attention in any of the classes that I had to take for the summer..." She said in a pleased tone. "Now that we're all warmed up, let's play a game, Duke!" She said in a childish tone; giving Duke a happy smile, as she cut Duke off and skated over to his other side.

Duke chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh- I hate ta break to ya, sweet'eart," he started in an unsure tone, looking away from Shadow in embarrassment, "I'm kinda too old to be playing games."

Shadow pushed forward and stopped in front of him. She held her arms crossed over her chest, and gave Duke a firm look. "I'm not talking about anything like what I did. I was talking about a skate off! I mean- to see what we've got on the ice. And who knows? Maybe we could learn a from each other while we're out here." She said in a rational tone, lifting her finger into the air to prove her point.

Duke looked away for a moment and began thinking. "I don' know, sweet'eart." He stated in an unsure tone, pretending to debate his options. "Ya can' teach an old duck new tricks, ya'know?"

Shadow skated circles around Duke, and smirked at him. "Hey, it's always been, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". So I don't know anything about any old ducks not learning any new tricks." She declared in a cocky tone; playing along with Duke's joke.

Duke chuckled at the girl, and gave up his joke. "Alright, kid. Show me what you got. An' dat's witout powas!" He warned, as he pointed a finger at the girl skating around him.

Shadow turned on her opposite direction, and gave him a mock salute. "Yes sir! No powers!" She said as she turned back around and broke the cycle to dart away towards the center of the rink.

She turned around so her back was facing the gray feathered mallard. She looked down and pulled out an ipod from an inner pocket in her jacket, and turned it on. (TPW: I just got one for my b-day! I'm so proud of myself! ;-)) She placed the tiny ear buds in each ear, and began looking through her songs. Once she settled on a song, she stretched out her arms to the North and South directions waiting for the lyrics to begin.

_'What is she up to?' _Duke thought to himself, as he watched in fascination at the girl's form; wondering what tricks she has up her sleeves.

She rotated her arms quickly, and used the momentum to spin around. She pushed herself forwards and began skating on the edge of the circle in the center of the rink. Once she felt like she skated enough, she pulled one foot backwards and kicked it up; jumping into the air. A nice little toe-jump.

Duke clapped his hands at the jump she made. "Good job, sweet'eart!" He called out in an impressed tone. He could tell that she was remembering her days as the figure-skater she once told them that she was.

Wildwing had made his way up towards the pond, and saw the two out on the ice. Shadow was skating and from what he saw, she was really pumping it up on the ice. He had never seen Shadow skate before. And remembering what she said about being the figure-skater, he didn't really believe her from the way he saw her fighting against bigger boys in the Underground Tournament. But seeing her now was like seeing a whole new side to her. He was going to scold her for being out on the ice, but seeing the happy smile on her face, he just didn't have it in him to make her stop.

He caught the sight of Duke watching her from the wall not too far from him, and walked over to him.

"Hey, Duke." He said in a low tone; hoping not to startle him and Shadow in the process. "What's going on?"

Duke looked behind him, and saw his leader standing behind him, and smiled. "We were talking, and afta a while, I thought it'd be good for Shadow ta... ya'know, cut loose."

"I can see that." Wildwing said with a playful chuckle. "But aren't you afraid she'll fall and get hurt?" He added with a concerned look on his face.

Duke gave Wildwing a disbelieving look. "Ya really dink she's gonna git hurt?" He asked in a a playful smirk.

Wildwing looked back on the ice, and saw Shadow pull a stunning lutz-jump and landed with a perfect spread eagle. "I guess she really was a figure-skater." He said in an impressed tone; staring at the girl dancing out on the ice before them...

Shadow used her toe-pick to stop her momentum and spun around on the ice. She executed a nice little scratch spin with ease; all the old feelings from when she was on the ice before the incident. She crossed her arms towards her knees, and brought them up over her head. Once she lost her momentum again, she brought out from the spin and skated along the wall of the rink. She bent her knees slightly and jumped into the air, pulling off a near-perfect double-axel in the process.

Duke had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. For a moment, he thought that Shadow had looked like a kind of ghost gliding across the ice. He knew she was a talented fighter, but he never guessed that in a million years she would have a stunning dancer side! It was all so new to him! It was almost as if he was looking someone other than Shadow right now!

The song had ended and Shadow took a bow; facing Duke with one hand lowered to her knees, and the other over her head. She heard Duke and Wildwing clapping and skating towards her with an impressed look on his face.

"Dose were sum pretty slick moves back there, kid!" He told her in a pleased tone. "I'm difinately a fan o' yours!"

Shadow blushed and rubbed her nose in an arrogant manner. "I guess I still got it. Even after all those years!" She told him in a cocky tone, skating towards the two and using her hands to stop herself from colliding with the wall.

"You'll have to get in line, Duke." Wildwing said in an joking tone, "Can I have your autograph?"

Duke and Shadow let out a laugh and smiled over at the leader. "You guys are so lucky." She said in a thoughtful tone, looking down at the white ice below her feet. "You can go out on the ice any given time."

Wildwing looked over at Duke, who shurgged his shoulders in wonder. He then looked over at Shadow and raised a brow at her. "And you can't? From what I saw, you are more graceful in this sorta stuff than fighting." He saw a slight glare from Shadow and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't get me wrong, kiddo, you're an excellent fighter, but I think the ice fits you better. I'd hate to have to see you with a puck."

Shadow relaxed her figure and looked down at her boots; deep in thought. "I can't compete anymore because it draws in too many cameras. No one pays attention to the fighter's thing anymore. And besides, with all the new rules and techniques, I just won't be able to keep up." She replied in a sad tone. "15-plus years is a pretty long time to miss out on anything."

"But why fighting? I mean- I get how you can learn how to control your anger and everything, but how did you get into it?" Wildwing asked in a confused tone, as he scratched the side of his head in wonder.

Shadow looked away from the two male ducks, and looked out on the ice. "The last thing Ray told me before he died was, "You're the only proof that I ever existed now, Ally-cat. You're my last chance.". After Mr. Kemo took me away from the organization, he trained me how to be a street fighter. That was the only part about that made him stand out. Just like Figure-Skating was my speciality. So, it's only natural that I keep the best part of him alive." She told them in a distant tone; a faint smile playing across her face.

"You really miss your brother, don'tcha, sweet'eart?" Duke asked in a sympathizing tone; placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Shadow nodded to the oldest duck; not taking her eyes off the ice. "There are days when the bad times out number the good ones." She whispered in a hurt tone, as tears began to form in her eyes. "But I know that Ray wouldn't want me to give up without a fight."

Wildwing smiled weakly at the girl. "That's right, Shadow. If you remember only one thing from all this, remember this," He said as he pressed a button on the his communicator and activated his skates.

He jumped over the wall and landed beside Duke on the other side, and moved over towards the girl. "Stand up straight." He told her as he grabbed her shoulders and gently helped her straighten her back. "Don't look back." He added in a firm tone; pulling her face to level with her shoulders. "Don't turn your back on your enemies." He told her in a demanding tone. "Never cast your eyes down."

He smiled over at her when he saw the determined fire in her eyes being restored. "Do these things and the world will come to you."

Shadow sniffled a bit before she nodded and rubbed her eyes to clear the tears from her duel-colored eyes. "Thanks, Wildwing." She whispered in a grateful tone. "I'll do my best."

Wildwing smiled and nodded to the girl before he began skating around on her. "Okay, not that's all settled," he said, giving her a smug smile. "How's about Duke and I show you a few things?"

Duke chuckled at the leader and folded his arms over his chest. "I don' know, wing." He told him in a worried tone. "I don' dink she can handle a stick, much less a few pointers in hockey."

Shadow laughed at the two so hard she fell on her rear. "I'm more of a hockey spectator, not a player." She said in a nervous tone; getting back up off the ice.

Wildwing gave Shadow a firm-yet playful look. "What did I just tell you? Besides, you never know if you don't try."

TPW: And there you have it! All my ideas in one nifty little chapter! Not quite as perfect as it was in my head, but I'm all tapped out, and I don't want to drag it out.

N: I think you're losin' your touch old girl. I mean- what's ol' lizard lips want with my buddy Shadow, anyway?

TPW: **Smacks Nosedive over the head** I'd be giving away too much! You'll have to find out when I get to it! And one more thing: **Pushes Nosedive down** That's for calling me old!

W: Alright, knock it off you two.

D: He **does** have a point there. Just go take smoke a cigarette and calm down, kid.

TPW: Is everyone after me today? First dive calls me old, and now you're calling me a kid! WTH! **Turns to Nosedive **And since you called me old, you're doing it!

N: **groans** Why me? Duke called you a kid!

TPW: I do believe that Duke and your brother had already had their turn! So it's yours!

N: **Sighs and turns towards the audience** The Paper Wolf owns nothing about MDTAS just the characters that she made up in her story. **Turns back to me with an evil glare** Happy now?

TPW: You bet! Now, go away before I sick my dogs on you!

N: Meep! **Runs away**

TPW: And just two more things I'd like to add!

Thanks White Hunter! You're totally awesome! I hope you like this chapter!

Please R&R! All comments are accepted. Except for flames. You can send those to me if you like, but I'll use them to set Nosedive on fire.

N&W: Over my dead body!

TPW: I wouldn't say that too loud if I were you boys! You never know what will happen in the next few chapters... Now scram! I've got lots of work to do!

Let me show you just what I'm made of now!


	8. SelfDestruct Button

Chapter Eight: Self-Destruct Button

_How many childhoods have to be lost?_

_How many memories have to be forgotten?_

_How many lives have to be lost?_

_How many hearts have to break?_

_Just one more..._

A few hours into the practice session with Shadow, Duke and Wildwing stopped and panted for breath. They looked up at the girl and saw her skating laps around the ice. There was something about the way Shadow was skating on the ice that made the two ducks watching her think of her soul was being set free once she began skating.

"Alright, Shadow. Let's get you back downstairs and get you settled into a room... And maybe some of your own battle-gear." Wildwing said in a brotherly tone; smiling at Shadow with happy eyes hiding behind his mask.

Shadow stopped skating and spun around to face the two with surprise. "Really? Me? In battle-gear? My own room?" She asked in a shocked tone; making sure she was hearing the captain of her favorite team correctly.

Wildwing laughed and looked over at the Duke before he looked back at Shadow with his arms folded across his chest. "Well, we have no idea how long Mr. Kemo will be back, and we can't just let you sleep on the couch in the recreation room or medical wing, can we?" He asked in a playful tone, trying to sound like he was serious, but his expression gave him away.

Shadow blinked at the two for a moment, and like lightining, she dashed forward and jumped on the two ducks; sending them flying onto the ground.

"This has got to be the best day of my life!" She said in an excited tone; laughing and smiling at the two as she got up to let the duo stand up again.

"Man, Shadow! Ya gotta work on the strength-ding, kiddo!" Duke laughed as he gained his feet and rubbed his head playfully.

And with that, the trio walked back down to where their bunks, and began looking around for a space for the girl to stay in. They had finally settled on an empty room next to Nosedive's bunk. The oldest duck punched in a few buttons and the door slid open with a slight hiss.

"I guess this will be your temporary bunk." Wildwing said in a blunt tone; looking around the room. "I think we'll have to get Mallory to help you decorate it, but it still has the essentials you need. Like a closet, dresser, and a cot until we can get you a real bed."

Shadow looked around the room and gasped in shock. It was a lot bigger than she was used to. It was about a third of the size of Drake 1 super computer! The dresser and cot was so small compared to the size of her room. The walls were also plain and dull, but all that was changing with all the ideas Shadow had for her room that were running wild in her mind.

Duke looked at the girl beside him, and watched her slowly walk around in the room. Her head hadn't moved once, but her eyes were widened and darting all around the room.

"So, whatdaya think, sweet'eart?" Duke asked in a hopeful tone, watching the girl wander around the room.

Shadow turned her head and smiled brightly at the two. "This is so cool! Thanks, guys!" She answered in a happy tone; placing her hands behind her back.

Wildwing let out a happy laugh, but was cut short due to their alram system buzzing into the room. He sighed and smiled apologetically at the girl, and looked down at his comminucator.

"It looks like Drake 1 picked up a robery uptown." He declared in a disappointed tone.

Shadow stepped up to the captain, and held a fist up to her chest. "I'm coming, too, Wildwing." She said in a determined tone; keeping her eyes trained on the white duck.

Duke blinked down at the girl and shook his head. "Whoa, hold up, kiddo! You ain't leavin'! It could be too dangerous!" He said in a fatherly tone; placing his hands on his hips.

Shadow looked up at Duke with a mind-set glare. "I just took on two of your worst enemies and you tell me a simple robery is too dangerous?" Shadow asked in a disbelieving voice.

Wildwing placed a hand on Duke's shoulder and turned to walk away. "She's got a point, and we don't have all day to catch the bad guys." He reasoned with the oldest duck.

Duke looked between the human and duck, and sighed in defeat. "You win. But _you_ stay with me or Wildwing. Got it?" Duke said in a firm tone; clearing not liking losing the argument.

Shadow nodded eagerly at Duke, and followed the duo out of the door; smirking in triumph. They made their way down to the hanger, with everyone in tow. Mallory looked over at Shadow, and back at Duke. She opened her mouth to protest her coming along, but Duke cut her off by saying that she's made up her mind and to leave it at that.

On the way the scene, Duke sat up front with Nosedive behind the wheel. He had a slight scowl on his face and glared out the windshield.

"I still think this is a bad idea." He said in a low grumble; forming a dark cloud over his head, as he sat sulking next to Nosedive.

Shadow looked up at Duke with a bitter scowl of her own. "Duke, I think you should sneeze or something, your brain's getting dusty." She said in a snippy tone; folding her arms over her chest; making Nosedive snicker in response.

Wildwing sent a warning glare at the girl, and folded his arms over his chest as well. "Hey, I'm letting you tag along against _my_ better judgement. Behave." He warned in a firm tone; making her flinch in response.

Shadow folded her arms over her chest in defiance. "You misunderstand me, Wildwing," she said in a low growl; her eyes flashing. "I've been through so much in the past fifteen years or so than anyone else you compare me to in their lifetimes. I can't explain this feeling, but I just _know_ I'm supposed to put my cursed powers to good use. And this is the best way I know how."

The ride was a quick and silent one, too. Shadow had proven her point, and dismissed their argument.

They had arrived at the scene to discover that the robbers had gotten stuck in their own equipment when they tried to escape with their stolen jewels. Mallory and Nosedive managed to free the crooks, Wildwing and Shadow tied them up, and quickly hung them back into place, and waited for Captain Klegghorn to arrive to take them away.

Klegghorn approached the leader with concerned eyes. "Maybe this isn't the best time to tell you about that _thing _you wanted me to find about." He said in a rough tone; nodding over to Shadow; whom was laughing and giggling at Duke and Nosedive.

Wildwing pulled Klegghorn off to the side; making sure no one could hear their conversation. "What did you find, Captain?" He asked in a worried tone; looking back at Shadow with a concerned expression.

"I was digging around in her permanent records to see if I could find anything that would point me in the right direction towards this "Organization", but I found nothing." Klegghorn said in a defeated tone, as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It's like it doesn't even exist."

Wildwing folded his arms over his chest plate. "Like Area 51 doesn't exist?" He argued in a rough tone; not believing what the officer was saying. "But Shadow did say she had a twin brother. What can you tell me about him?"

Klegghorn sighed and gave up. "You mean "Raymond Sohma"? He died in a middle school shooting. A shot to the back of the head while running away. The records showed that the mother went insane and couldn't take care of Allyce, and went missing while she was still in the hospital." He told the white feathered duck in a sad tone. "It's such a shame Allyce disappeared. She was the most talented figure-skater known to the world."

Wildwing chuckled and thrusted a gloved thumb over towards Shadow. "I think that case is closed, captain." He said in a playful tone; his smirk growing wider at the realization hitting Klegghorn with full force.

"Are you saying Shadow is Allyce?" Klegghorn asked in a surprised tone, as he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"That's right, Klegghorn. Allyce and Shadow are one in the same." He said in a mind-set tone.

"But she looks nothing like Allyce! Allyce had short brown hair and gray eyes! This girl is like a negative version of her!" Klegghorn retorted in a shocked tone; not taking his eyes off the girl laughing at something Nosedive had done.

"After some... unfortunate events, her hair and eyes changed colors. She said that she was asleep for a long time, so her hair must've grown out since then." Wildwing said in a rough tone; watching Shadow completely unaware of the two talking.

"Are you trying to tell me that Allyce was your _informant_?" Klegghorn said in a shocked tone; pounding on his heart to get it to keep beating.

Wildwing nodded solemnly at Klegghorn and sighed. "That's right, captain. But her name is now "Shadow Honda" now."

"I've got to talk to her and find out what she knows." Klegghorn said in a blunt tone, as he tried to walk past Wildwing; only to be stopped by a large hand on his shoulder.

"No you don't!" He said in a firm tone, "Shadow's been through a lot. It was killing her when she told us what happened. And I already told you what she knows, so there's no need to bring the past."

Klegghorn looked over his shoulder and stared up at Wildwing with disbelief. "What do you mean "it was killing her when you told you"?" He asked. "You know something, don't you?"

Wildwing let go of the donut lover's shoulder when he knew he wouldn't go after Shadow. "I could tell she never had the change to mourn for her brother's death, and bringing up the past was really stupid on our part. I highly recommend not talking to her about it." He said in a demanding tone, "It really torn us apart when she told us. I could almost feel her pain..." He said in a hurtful tone; making Klegghorn shiver in reply.

Klegghorn looked at Wildwing with a raised brow. "And you're going to take care of her I take it?" He asked in a suspicious tone; eyeing the alien before him.

Wildwing nodded. "She's like the little sister I never had." He said in a soft tone and a defeated sigh followed suit. "We'll keep her safe, I give you my word."

Klegghorn gave up this argument, and rubbed his temples in frusteration. "I'm going to go bald if I worry about this any more." He said in a rough tone; turning back to Wildwing with fire in his eyes. "You had better take good care of that one, Wildwing. I want to see her preform again someday."

Wildwing chuckled and folded his arms over his chest plate once again. "You don't have to worry about that, captain. Duke and Nosedive had already beaten both of us to the punch this time around." He said, as he nodded his head over towards Shadow, whom was running around Duke with Nosedive chasing her; laughing all the way and making the others laugh at the sight. "I think she'll do just fine."

"I hope so, Wildwing." Klegghorn said in a defeated tone; turning on his heel, and walking back to his car with the two crooks from before in tow...

N: That's it? That's the chapter we've been waiting for?

TPW: Yeah, yeah, well I am under serious pressure here! And all you're doing is eating my food and chasing after my dogs! And besides, I was thinking of making my chapters all one-shots. Like, one thing happening in one chapter and the others kinda follow it, ya know?

D: I thought ya did a good job, kiddo.

TPW: That's because I haven't done it in such a long time! I don't want to do this story right now! I can't think of anything else! Although, I am finished with the sequel "Giving up"...

W: You already have a sequel? You haven't even finished this story yet! How could you finish a sequel when you haven't even finished the first story?

TPW: That's an easy one, Wing! I wrote that story a long time ago. It's written in my notebook and all that. I just need to type it up and stick it in my account. The one where you guys first meet Shadow was lost, a long time ago, and this is off my memory. Which is really rough typing to remember 20 chapters, so I'm going to have to make this story shorter somehow...

N: ***looks through the notebooks* **I just found the sequel! Boy, this is some serious stuff in here!

S: Really? Let me see!

TPW: **grabs the notebook from Nosedive** Knock it off you two! I can't post the sequel if I don't have the first story finished and it needs some tweeking before I do anything with it!

D: Am I in the sequel?

TPW: **glares at Duke** You won't be if you don't help me keep Nosedive and Shadow away from my notebooks. I just might kill you off right here along with them!

Duke: **clears his throat and runs away, dragging Nosedive and Shadow along with him.**

TPW: Exactly. Now, I'd like to thank my readers for not giving up on me. Though, I must warn you all that I will be out for a few weeks because I have surgery and a wedding to attend to. Please wait just a little longer and I will post up a new chapter later. Right now, I want to do another story, but I don't know what to do it on. I think I'll put my Cyborg 009 up. What do you all think? Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

TPW: And always, I don't own MDTAS, that's all Disney's department. I'm just writing a story about it.

And a very special thanks to White Hunter! I love ya! And to everyone else... Smile until you stop... Peace out!


	9. Once Bitten

Wolf: Okay, so I took a little longer than expected in writing this chapter-  
N: And posting it...  
Wolf: Do you want to live to see the end of this story? **Sees Nosedive nod his head** And I can only assume that you want to see the sequeal "Loss of Voice", am I right? **Sees Nosedive nod again.** Then shut up and stop making me look bad!  
N: Sorry! **Runs and hides behind Grin**

Wolf: **Looks over at Wildwing** You're not going to have a little brother by the end of this story if you don't keep him in control.

W: I know, I know. **runs over towards Dive** Get back in the closet, dive!  
Wolf: Thanks, wing! Anyway, thanks to all my faithful readers! It sure feels good to know that you haven't lost faith in me yet! And for a special treat for all the Tanya lovers out there: Here she is to give the disclaimer!  
T: Uh- uh! The Paper Wolf don't own MDTAS or anything else that might own us. She just owns the-uh-nov-nove-ugh! She just owns da story! **Turns and walks off** Uh- I've had it with this disclaimer stuff!  
Wolf: Thank you, Tanya! You did a great job! **gives Tanya a thumbs up and turns back to the audience **Now, without further ado... on to the story!  
N: Da-da-da-da!  
Wolf: Wildwing! Get your brother before I do!

Chapter Nine: Once Bitten...

_It takes a lot to always be on form..._

_You have to play for keeps,_

_if you want to play the game..._

_I was never good enough!_

_How did it come to this?_

_I may be scared now,_

_but I'm not leaving._

_It's my turn to go now..._

_It's too late..._

A few weeks went by and still not a hair nor hide of Mr. Kemo. Shadow grew was allowed to use the rink as she pleased and got to practice more and more. Though, Duke and Wildwing knew that whenever she was feeling any intense emotion, (anger, anxiety, worry, ect.) she would go up there and put every ounce of those feelings out onto the ice. Those were the only times anyone would be able to see the extent of everything The Organization had done to her over the years she's spent in their crazied hands.

Right now, Shadow was skating wildly out on the ice; jumping around and landing harshly on the ice at an alarming rate. Her eyes were glowing an evil red color that made her look more like a demonic animal than the human girl she pretends to be. It was actually rather frightening to see the girl like that.

Duke walked into the stadium with his hands in his pockets, as he went over to the front row, and leaned against the wall. He was worried about the little girl and wanted to check on her. Shadow had left the Galley rather quickly that morning with a simple hello, and asked for permission to use the rink to practice, and left with a simple busquit in hand. The ducks thought it was odd for her to leave so quickly off to practice. Shadow would normally take her time and talk with the others before she left. Duke's fatherly insticts were taking over and went up to the rink after he was finished with his meal.

He watched Shadow jump and spin around on the ice. He knew something was wrong when we saw her eyes glowing red. He had a pretty good idea of what was a part of what's bothering her.

He knew she hadn't been sleeping well these past few days. She wouldn't show it, not yet, exactly, but he could see it in her eyes when she came out of her room in the mornings, and wouldn't tell anyone why she couldn't sleep. Duke even remembered a night when she turned in early and heard a quiet hiss when he passed her room. He knew that much, but as far as knowing all the facts, he wasn't sure.

He came out of his thoughts when he heard Shadow stop suddenly, and fully relaxed her figure with her back towards him. He saw her shake her head vigorously, and push off on the ice again. This time she appeared to be more calm and tame than when he walked in on her. It looked like she was about to run out of steam soon.

She turned around on the ice, and noticed Duke was standing there with a shocked expression on his face. She skated over towards the duck with her head hung low slightly; her bangs hiding the emotions that may betray her. She stepped off the ice and began to untie her shoelaces on her white boots.

" ey, sweet'hart, what's goin' on wit ya?" Duke asked in a concerned tone, as he sat down with the girl on the bench.

Shadow looked up at Duke with a curious stare. "What do you mean?" She asked in a puzzled tone, as she took off one of her skates.

"I mean when you just left the Galley wit'out sayin' more than two words ta us!" He said in a slightly worried tone, "Ya normally wouldda sat down wit us and ya haven't stopped practicin' since then."

Shadow shrugged and took off her other skate. "I don't know what came over me, this morning, Duke. It's like I just wanted to skate right then and there. I can't really explain it, it was just a feeling I had when I woke up this morning." She said in a quiet tone; not meeting his worried eyes.

_'Good lie...'_ Duke thought to himself as he watched Shadow put on her street shoes. "Are ya sure that's the only reason you didn't stay for breakfast?" He asked in an interogating tone, giving her a hard stare; trying to intimidate the girl into telling him what was bothering her. "Ya know ya can tell me what's bahthin' ya, right?"

Shadow stood up quickly; taking her skates with her. "There's nothing to tell you because nothing is bothering me. Someone once told me that nothing comes from nothing, so stop fussing over it." She told him in a final tone; ending the conversation.

She smiled playfully, as she watched him get up from the bench. "Now, you're too cool for that whole "worried parent" thing. It totally cramps up your style, Duke." She said in a teasing tone, as she walked towards the exit and towards the locker room to get out of the rest of her equipment.

Duke still wasn't completely convinced with Shadow's proclaimation. He knew something was bothering her. The look in her eyes when he saw her skating just then told him that much, but why wouldn't she tell him. He figured that it probably wasn't too big of a deal if she was still able to tease him about being a "worried parent".

_'Dive must've rubbed off on 'er.' _Duke thought in amusement.

The day went on like nothing had happened. She stopped by at the training room, and had a few spars with Mallory. Duke still kept a close eye on her and listened to her voice more carefully when she spoke. He still wasn't convinced that she was telling him the truth.

After Mallory had called it truce, and stopped for a break, the alarms went berserk, and they all ran off to the main computer room. Everyone was standing behind Tanya, as she sat at Drake 1; typing away on the keyboard.

"What is it this time, Tanya?" Wildwing asked in a worried tone, as he placed his hands on the edge of the keyboard; looking up to see if he could find something on the screen that Tanya couldn't.

"The saurians are in the cemetary..." Shadow said out loud; causing everyone to turn around to look at her with shocked expressions on their faces. "They're destroying statues and graves there." She added in a soulless tone; not looking anyone in the eyes. She stared straight ahead like a robot waiting to be programmed. "It's like they're looking for something..."

"She's right, Wildwing! Drake 1 picked up Cameleon and Sieg are in Anahiem's National Cemetary!" Tanya cried out in shock, as she turned around to face the others.

Wildwing turned to Shadow with the same shocked look that everyone else had. "How'd you know that?" He asked in a leading tone; not letting Shadow go without an explaination.

Shadow shook her head roughly and looked up at the white duck. "I've always been close to the dead, and since The Organization got their hooks on me... well, it's easier to see things that humans can't."

"She's like a living Drake 1!" Nosedive said in an excited tone, as he looked around the others.

"So, you can like- tell whenever someone does something wrong, right?"

Shadow shook her head and looked up at the others with a sad look. "I just know when someone messes with someone else's graves. And besides," she added with a flat tone, "the man with a hole in his head told me that some monsters are wrecking the cemetary." She added, as she pointed past Mallory; making everyone jump and spin around to face the military trained duck.

Duke looked over at Mallory and saw nothing behind her. He looked over towards Shadow, and noticed she was looking straight at Mallory. "Dare's nuttin' dare, sweet'eart. What are ya seein'?" He asked in a fatherly tone; watching Shadow's face for any signs of lies.

Shadow shook her head and turned towards the exit. "Do you want to stop the saurians from wrecking Anahiem's final resting place? Yes? Then let's go!" And with that, she ran off like lightining; everyone else on her heels.

The ride to the cemetary was a quick trip. They all filed out of the Migrator and began shooting off their weapons at the cold-blooded lizards; forcing them to stop in their tracks and return fire.

Shadow watched a few hunter drones sneak up on Duke, and decided that it was her time to show those saurians that she wasn't a prize that was worth the trouble, and charged towards Duke. There was a flash of white light, and the wolf part of her emmerged and jumped towards the older duck. Duke saw the wolf launch itself at him, and ducked down in time for it to crash into the two drones; sending them crashing into each other. The wolf jumped high into the air just in time for the drones to explode and landed with its tail raised straight into the air.

Duke looked over at the wolf and nodded with an impressed look on his face. He saw it nod back and look away and took off for another drone. Duke followed the wolf's example and charged for another drone; taking it out with ease and going for another one.

Wildwing managed to square off against Sieg. They were locked in a stale mate; growling and snarling at each other like animals fighting over a scrap of meat.

"What do you want with the kid, Sieg?" Wildwing asked in a dark, threatening tone; his mask glowing red with retained fury; trying his best to hold onto the large red scaled lizard in stale mate.

Sieg laughed and chuckled at his foe. "I'll neva tell, ya stinkin' featherhead!" He declared in a final tone; trying to keep his hold on Wildwing.

Wildwing, in returned, snorted and flipped Sieg over his shoulder, and into a nearby hunter drone.

Sieg looked over to his side, a bright flash caught his attention, and he saw Shadow phase back into her human form, and smirked. A thought crossed his mind and signalled the cameleon to snatch up the girl. The sneaky little shape-shifter nodded and snuck up on Shadow and grabbed her from behind; holding her tightly in place.

Sieg looked back at Wildwing with an evil smirk on his face. "Looks like we got what we came for, feathahead..." He said in a twisted tone, as he got to his feet and slowly backed away towards his ally with his blaster pointed at Wildwing.

"Let the kid go, Sieg..." Wildwing warned in a dark tone; taking a slow step towards his foe with his puck blaster pointed at Sieg.

Shadow struggled against cameleon's hold and looked around at the scene going on around her. She blinked and not only did she see the scene around her, but she also saw a lot of ghosts surrounding them. A lot of them looked like soldiers, and some of them were small children with evil looks on their faces as they stared at her. Shadow saw a few women screaming at the saurians, telling them to give up or threatening to kill them (even though they were ghosts). There were a lot of men shouting at the ducks; telling them to keep fighting and challenging them to defeat their enemies. Shadow closed her eyes, and snapped open with an idea forming in her mind.

"Don't do it, Wildwing!" Shadow screamed at the top of her lungs; making everyone stop dead in their tracks.

Wildwing gave Shadow a surprised stare and watched for any signs Shadow. He saw her smirk over at him, and gave him a very slight nod; telling him that she knew what she was doing. He gave her a slight nod, and relaxed his arm and backed away slowly. He looked over towards his team, and told them to back down, as well.

Shadow smirked at the scene before her. Even the ghosts eased off of the scene. There was a little girl stepping back from the scene, and stopped in front of Sieg.

"_You're gonna get it now" _Shadow said in a quiet tone, as she began to chuckle at the over-grown lizards holding her hostage.

Sieg looked back at the girl and gave her a disbelieving look. "Oh, yeah?" He asked in a challenging tone; pointing his gun at the girl. "I don't see you doing anything about it."

Shadow laughed wickedly at her captive and smirked evilly at him. "I won't stop you, Sieg... but they might..." She declared in a demanding tone; turning her gaze over at the empty space behind him.

Sieg looked behind him to see nothing there. He turned back to the girl with a laughing look in his eyes. "There's nothing back there! You stupid girl!" He roared in an angry tone; pointing his blaster back at the girl.

He then noticed Cameleon was starting to shake, as he stared behind his ally. With a frightened look on his face.

When Sieg looked behind him once again, he came face to face with the most scary looking woman he had ever seen. The woman was a bloody mess with a large hole in her chest. She had blood running down her face and arms, and all over her front; forming a pool of dark red blood on the ground in which she stood.

The Cameleon dropped Shadow and hid behind Sieg. Sieg was too scared to move so Cameleon press the teleportation device on his arm, and transported themselves out of the cemetary. Shadow stood up and walked over towards the spirit before her.

"I'm sorry those freaks ruined your graves. And thank you for helping us out back there." Shadow said in a grateful tone; giving the ghost a soft smile. "It's okay, you can go now."

The woman nodded and soon faded out of sight; leaving the frightened living behind her. Shadow looked up at Wildwing and smiled weakly at him. He didn't look too happy with that little stunt, but it was plain as day that he was still glad that she was alright.

"What was that all about?" Mallory demanded in an worried tone; looking around the cemetary for any other spooks that may pop out.

Shadow looked up at Wildwing with a bright smile. "I guess that was one serious angry ghost!" She said in a joking tone, showing off her fangs.

"Did you do that, kiddo?" Duke asked in a worried tone; wondering what else she was had up her sleeves.

Tanya made a noise that got everyone's attention. "Ap-appri- uh- ghosts are compressed feelings that someone has when they die. If they can turn their feelings inta energy, then they may be able to let living people see them."

"I'm surprised you all didn't see them." Shadow spoke up in a confused tone, "I mean- they were all over the place... all bloodied and messed up looking. Those were some mighty ticked off ghosts back there. Half of them yelling or screaming at the saurians and the other half screaming at you lot." She then turned around and began walking towards the Migrator with her hands behind her head.

The others looked at each other, and took off after her without another word.

Once the team had arrived back to the pond, Shadow had grown slightly quiet. Of course, she was always the quiet one, but she was even more quiet than she was before she fought with the enemy a moment ago. Tanya probably guessed that it was because she screamed so loud that she strained her voice, but Duke had other ideas.

Once they were alone in the recreational room, they settled down on the couch in front of the large television. They watched the news for awhile, and soon fell asleep with Shadow curled up against Duke with his arm around her shoulders.

**Wildwing came into the recreational room, **and grinned at the sight of Duke and Shadow before him. The two looked like father and daughter on the couch like that. It was almost as though Shadow was a child that just found her long lost father. Or maybe someone to replace the one she never knew? (Ref. Ch.6) Duke looked like he didn't mind, and Wildwing had also noticed that he was growing rather attached and protective over the girl lately.

Wildwing shook his head at the question and pushed the thought to the far edges of his mind. He went over towards the old duck sitting on the couch, and gently shook his shoulder; causing him to wake up.

"Let's get you two to sleep." He said in a quiet tone; not wanting to chance anything that may wake the light sleeper beside the Center player of his team.

"What time is it?" He asked in a sleepy tone, as he used his free arms to rub the sleepiness from his eye.

Wildwing checked his watch and looked over at Duke with a slight grin on his face. "It's almost midnight, and everyone's already asleep." He replied as he ever so carefully picked the sleeping Shadow up from Duke's grasp, so he could stand up and stretch his arms for a moment.

"I'll take the kid to her bunk and you go to bed. You're going to have to be top of your game at the big game tomorrow." Wildwing offered in a hushed whisper as he adjusted Shadow in his arms. He had been out of his battle gear and made things much easier without it.

Duke didn't want to struggle right now. He had worn himself out with that fight, and wanted to get some sleep. He knew Wildwing was right about getting rest. Wildwing shifted the sleeping girl in his arms, and she mumbled something that sounded like, "Ray..." as she clutched his shirt. The two ducks looked at each other with a surprised look on their faces, and shrugged and went over towards the bunks to Shadow's room.

After Duke pressed the button to let them in, he quickly walked over towards the cot and pulled back the blankets; letting his leader carefully place Shadow in the bed before he placed the blankets around her tiny form. Shadow had rolled over after Duke covered her with the blanket. The pair watched the girl for a moment longer before they quietly left the room; leaving the girl to her dreams.

Duke looked back at the door for a moment. "That kid never ceases ta amaze me. Any other girl her age would've been too scared to do half da dings she pull taday."

"True, but she's not like any other girl her age." Wildwing chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

" 'an dat's sumthin' dat no girl should have ta go through..." Duke said in a darkened after thought; giving the door beside him an evil glare.

"That's also true, but that's what makes her who she is." Wildwing reasoned; letting out a loud yawn. "I'm not gonna keep thinking about it. Like she said, "What's done is done. And there's nothing we can do to change the past." He said in a defeated tone; patting Duke on the shoulder and turning away from him to head off to turn in for the night.

Duke took one last look at the door, and went to his own bunk. He was tired and needed to get some rest.

Little did the old duck know that it was going to be night he'd never forget! And it's a long way till dawn...

Next time in Fighting Back: 

… "Please... make it stop! I can't take it anymore! No-no! Ahhh!" Shadow screamed as she thrashed violently against Duke's grasp, slashing him in the shoulder.

"Whoa! Calm down, kid! I'm just tryin' ta help ya!" Duke called out, as he held his grip firmly on the violent girl's body; doing his best to keep her firmly in place. "Hurry up wit dat, Tanya! I don' know how much longer I can hold 'er!"...

Wolf: And that's the first part of two that I have so far. The next chapter will be a real good Shadow bashing that will leave your hearts breaking for her!

N: Oh, man! **Turns to Shadow** What did you do to make her so mad at you this time, girl?  
S: I took one of her cigarettes again...

N: That's not good...  
Wolf: Yeah, I know. She knows I get cranky if I don't get my smoke breaks...  
Wolf: Anyway, I'd like to take this time to apologize to my readers in advance because I took so long in posting this story. I have a lot going on right now and I can't seem to find the time to write. Not to mention that writer's block had set in again, and I haven't been able to think of how the stories will go. I have my idea for my chapters, but I don't know how to put them up on the screen without it sounding something like a children's book. There's a difference between having the ideas for the story and actually being able to type them up. T.T It's gonna take me a little longer to post the second part up, but it will be worth the wait! Until then, this is The Paper Wolf; signing off for the week. And remember: Smile until you stop...


	10. Twice Shy!

Wolf: I'm back from Hell and I come with a real BANG!  
W: **looks to Duke with a blunt stare** is she okay?  
D: That's just her way of saying she's over her writer's block...

S:I'm starting to get scared now...*Sees me running around with a frying pan* I don't who's gonna get whacked with the frying pan.  
D: **chuckles** Nosedive's found her secret stash of choclates and threw them away.  
Wolf: Come 'ere, you little featherhead! I'm gonna have fried duck tonight!  
N: **Runs over towards Wildwing** Help! She's gone mad! She's gonna eat me!  
W: Should've thought about that before you stole her candy. Maybe if you do the disclaimer, she'll let you off the hook?  
N: **turns and faces the readers with a paniced look** The Paper Wolf doesn't own MDTAS or anything that belongs to disney! Please r&r before I become a late character! I don' wanna die this late in the story!

Wolf: Aw, thanks Dive! **drops the pan and gives Nosedive a hug**

N: Whew! I thought I was a goner!  
Wolf: **Throws the pan and hits Nosedive in the head with the pan** And that was for stealing my choclates! **Walks off to her desk**

W: **watches Nosedive spraw out on the floor** I think she went easy on you this time, dive.  
D: Man, buddy, she hugs you for doing the disclaimer and you **still** get hit wit da pan. I hate to be you in the mornin'!

Wolf: **runs back and waves to the readers** Thanks for the reviews, Hunter! You're awesome! And a big help to boot! And for the rest of you suckers who don't review... smile until you stop...

Chapter Ten: Twice Shy

_You'll always stand tall,_

_if you get right back up._

_It was never about the man in the fight, _

_It was about the fight in the man!_

_It's not to match your move,_

_it's to match what might go wrong!_

_Where the last will again be first,_

_it's me against the world now..._

A storm raged outside of the pond that night, and Shadow did all but sleep. She knew Duke and Wildwing had taken her to her tempory bunk; she could tell by their voices speaking in low tones, but they still hadn't been able to chase away her nightmares. She knew Duke had noticed that something was wrong with her, but she didn't want to tell him that they were about him and his team. She didn't even know why she was having those dreams. She knew they wouldn't do anything to hurt her, but there was still that nagging feeling that stayed dormant in the back of her mind whenever they were around, but when she was alone, it all came to her at once.

Tonight was going to be one of her worst dreams. She tossed and turned in her cot, as sweat dripped off her face, and soaked the bed under her tiny form.

**::Nightmare::**

** Shadow was out in the ocean like in all her other dreams. There was Duke and Nosedive like they always were off shore; squabbling over how they were cooking the hamburgers, Mallory was helping Grin and Wildwing with the foldable chairs and large umbrellas, Tanya was laying out the beach towels with Mr. Kemo. It all looked so good on the other side. But with the sweets... come the sours...**

** Dark clouds rolled in and thunder could be heard or felt throughout the beach; bringing everyone to attention. Shadow turned away from the ocean, and everything, the ocean-the beach, everything was gone! She then turned towards the group before her, and saw them walking away from her; leaving her in the spotlight!**

** "Wait for me, everyone! I'm coming!" She called out, as she reached out for Mr. Kemo; whom only ignored her and faded into the darkness.**

** 'You bad student, Shadow-san.' Mr. Kemo's called back in a forlorn tone.  
"B-But you promised! You promised you'd protect me! **_**You promised me, Mr. Kemo!"**_** Shadow protested in a paniking tone; her voice shaking with each word that left her lips.**

** Shadow was about to run after him, when she noticed dead people were closing in on her; laughing evily and glaring wickedly at her; making her think they were coming after her.**

** "No! Stay away!" Shadow screamed, as she ran away from the overgrown lizards.**

** She found that she was now in a lab she assumed was Tanya's and saw the duck in question working on some new gadget of hers; not noticing anything around her like she always was when she worked on things.**

** "Please, help me, Tanya! The dead people are after me! Don't let them get me!" She pleaded in a frightened tone; waiting for Tanya to jump up and try to help her. Though, Tanya had ignored the girl's plea and kept tinkering away at her little machine.**

** "Uh- just leave me alone, will ya?" Tanya retorted in an annoyed tone; waving Shadow's warning off. "Ghost are not gonna hurt ya."**

** Shadow gasped and took a step back; fear gripping her heart. "T-Tanya..." She said in a hurting tone, as she turned and saw the ghosts shasing after her once again. **

** Shadow screamed and took off down the hall; hoping to lose the ghosts chasing her with all the turns she took.**

** It wasn't long until she came across Grin watering and trimming his bonzai trees in his bunk. **_**'Oh, thank you, Ray.' **_**She thought to herself as she ran over to him. "Grin, you gotta help me! Ghosts are after me! Tanya won't help!"**

** "I have to tend to my bonzai trees... maybe some other time..." Grin replied in a mellowed out tone; cutting off a small branch from his tiny tree.**

** Shadow gasped in horror, as she took a step back from the gentle giant before her. "Not you, too! Please, Grin! They're gonna tear me apart!" Shadow begged; reaching out to touch his muscled arm.**

** Grin shook her hand off his shoulder, and turned to face the girl with a menacing glare on his beaked face. "I'm trying to maintain a balance of peace and tranquility, little one. I have no time for you." He told her in a final tone; turning back to his task at hand.**

** Shadow's tears pricked at her eyes, as she stared at the large duck before her. "No..." She said as she stood frozen in place.**

** Her moment of fear was upon her when she felt a clamy hand on her shoulder and turned around to face her greatest fear: Her mother. Her mother looked like a decomposing skeleton; losing its flesh.**

** "I thought you loved your mother, Allyce." She called out in a haunting voice; reaching out to touch Shadow's trembling cheek. "I thought I taught you better than to disrespect me, child..." Just as she spoke those words, Shadow's mother racked her clawed finger nails down her cheek; leaving bloody trails down her left cheek. **

** Shadow's tears fell freely down her face, and pushed the remains of her mother, and rushed past the woman; hoping to find someone who would help save her. She looked behind her to see if anything else was following her. She looked back ahead, and collided with Duke; sending them both to the ground.**

** " 'ey, where's da fire, kiddo?" Duke asked with a low grunt, as he rubbed his rear end in sympathy.**

** Shadow quickly gained her feet, and pulled the old duck up to his feet. "Please, Duke!" She begged with fresh tears pouring from her eyes. "I saw mom! She's dead and she hurt me!" She cried in a frightful tone, as she pulled her hair back to reveal the torn cheek.**

** Duke gasped at the terrible sight, and pulled the girl to his taller body. "It's gonna be alright, Shadow. I'm here now."**

** Shadow smiled faintly to herself, as she allowed the duck to hold her. She heard a haunted chuckle and gripped Duke's shirt in fear as she turned her head to look behind her.**

** Low and behold, was Shadow's mother standing before them with a wicked grin twisting in the light. **

** "You always were the less than your other half, Allyce... You should've died instead of your bother." Shadow's mother said in a bone-chilling tone; as she took a step forward; extending her hand out towards her daughter.**

** Shadow gripped Duke's shirt tighter, and looked up at him. "Please, don't let her get me, Duke!" She cried, as she clung to his feathered body.**

** Duke growled at the woman in front of him, and pushed Shadow behind him; withdrawing his sword and preparing for any kind of attack. "You gotta get through me first!" He declared in a final tone; pointing his blade towards the opposing woman standing in his way.**

** The woman chuckled darkly at the duck and snapped her fingers. Just as the sound traveled through the air, ten rings appeared and attached themselves around the two; wrapping them tightly around their: necks, wrists, and ankles; holding them in place. The impact of the rings, sent the two crashing into the opposite walls; holding them firmly in place. **

** Shadow opened her eyes to see her mother going after Duke's helpless form, and began struggling against her restraints; making them tightly slightly around her limbs with each struggle. **

** "I-I want... please!" Shadow closed her eyes tighly and struggled to breathe. "Leave Duke alone!"**

** Shadow felt an errie breeze push through her, and opened her eyes; expecting to see her mother towering over her. Instead of seeing her mother, she saw none other than her brother standing before her with a hole through his chest and a bloody knife in his hand.**

** "Why did you let me die, Ally-cat?" Ray said in a haunted tone; holding the knife pointed at Shadow's throat. "I thought you loved me..."**

** Shadow cried and slumped down towards the ground. "I'm so sorry, Ray... please forgive me..."**

** Ray laughed and looked down at Shadow. "I have no use for apologies now, Ally-cat! But you can make it up to me by dying and going to Hell with me!" And with that, Ray raised his knife high into the air, and slashed Shadow's throat. **

** Shadow gaged and sputtered for a moment before her head then hung low. The last thing she saw was Duke struggling against his restraints before he passed out. **

**End of Nightmare**

Shadow bolted up in her bed, and screamed as loud as she could before she threw herself back against the cot; grabbing her throat and thrashing wildly in the bed until she fell off the bed.

Duke had heard the scream and bolted up in his own bed not too far from Shadow's bunk. He looked around and heard some strange gagging sounds. He knew it had been Shadow. He could tell because the voice was pruely straining, and none of the others ever made those kind of sounds.

Without a second thought, he jumped out of bed, and ran out of his bunk; straight towards Shadow's bunk. There, lying on the ground, was Shadow struggling and chocking herself on the floor beside her cot.

He quickly rushed to her side, and pulled her tiny body against his; lightly tagging her face to wake her from her nightmare.

"Com'on, kid, wake up. It's Duke." Duke whispered to the struggling girl in his arms. She tried to get out of his grasp, but managed to keep a firm grip around her body. "It's alright, sweet'eart! Wake up!"

Shadow jerked awake with a struggling gasp, and looked around wildly in the room; panting and dripping in sweat. She felt arms around her shoulders and waist and looked up to see, Duke; looking down at her with worry and concern.

"D-Duke?" She asked in a fearful tone; gripping her friend's shirt tightly in her fist, and cried uncontrolablly against the duck.

Duke pulled the little girl closer to his body and slowly rocked her back and forth in a fatherly fashion; trying his best to comfort the scared girl in his arms. "Dare, dare, sweet'eart," he cooed in a soothing tone; hoping it was helping ease the poor girl's mind, "ev'rythin's alright now. It was jus a nightmare."

Hearing that, Shadow cried harder into Duke's shirt, and buried her face further into his chest.

"I-I-I can't breathe!" She hiccuped into Duke's chest.

Duke shushed the shaking girl, and held her as tightly as he could. He heard the sounds of foot steps rushing from down and up the hall, and looked up to see everyone gathering into the room with slightly annoyed, tired, and alert expressions on the faces of his disgruntled teammates.

"She jus had a nightmare." Duke said in a quiet tone, looking up at Wildwing with worried eyes.

Nosedive was one of the two ducks with the annoyed expressions on his face, but his soon softened and carefully took a step towards the two on the floor. "What happened, Slim?" He asked in a big brotherly tone; placing a comforting hand on Shadow's back.

Shadow looked over at Nosedive with still frightened tears in her eyes. "I-I can't breathe!" She croaked as she pulled away from Duke, and lightly wrapped her long, thin fingers around her neck; gasping each word that spilled from her lips.

Tanya pushed past everyone in her way, and walked over towards the trio; lightly pushing the two away to look Shadow over. She gently pushed some of Shadow's hair out of her face, and saw claw marks running slightly slanted down her left cheek.

"You must've uh- scratched yourself in your sleep, Shadow." Tanya said in a tisking tone; checking the girl for any more wounds she might've caused in her sleep. "Let's get you to the medical wing so I can get that fixed up for you."

Shadow shook her head wildly; making herself dizzy. Not at going to get help from Tanya, but at the first statement she made. "N-no," she took a deep breath, "I didn't do it! Mom did it to me!" She protested as a fresh wave of tears leaked from her eyes. "She did it! She- she raised her hand up to my face and dug her nails into me!"

Wildwing took a step forward and cleared his throat. "We'll worry about what happened while Tanya's patching you up. Come on, Shadow, I'll help you." He offered in a brotherly tone; extending a hand out for her. Shadow looked over at the others in the room, and up at Wildwing before she took his hand to get up off the floor. Once she pulled on his hand, she felt a sudden pain run through her back, and quickly let go of his feathered hand; sending her back down on her rear end.

Wildwing sighed and gathered the tiny girl in his arms, and turned to face the others; watching them make a path for him to leave the room. Everyone walked down the hall in a slight quick fashion with concerned looks on their faces for the girl in their leader's arms. They had seen many faces of Shadow, but not a single duck among them had ever seen her when she was truly terrified. It really disturbed them to see how quickly she could change from being a brave little fighter, to a terrified little girl!

The Flashblade brothers were so fond of the girl and it killed them to see her so scared. It almost broke their hearts to see like that. Nosedive had finally bonded with the human and claimed her as the younger sibling he always wanted. He was so proud of the fact that he wasn't the youngest member of the team anymore, but when he saw the little girl crying and shaking against Duke, he just wanted nothing more than taking that fear away from her so he could see her smile. At that moment, he wondered if Wildwing felt the same way about him and Shadow.

Wildwing was at a loss when he saw Shadow so frightened. He wanted to know what scared her so bad it would leave her breathless and made her inflict wounds upon herself. He, too, had adopted the young girl into his little family. He wanted to laugh when he heard his little brother claim Shadow as his younger sibling, but Nosedive had the right idea. He grew accustomed to having the little girl around, always smiling, and spending time with the ducks. He didn't know what to do when he first saw Shadow clinging to Duke as a life line.

Duke was a slightly nervous wreck at the whole ordeal. He knew something was wrong with her from the start of a few days ago, but she wouldn't say anything to him about it. He had thought she had gotten over whatever it was bothering her when Wildwing woke them up a few hours ago and saw the peaceful look on her face when he covered her up with the blanket before he and Wildwing left her room.

Mallory was the other of the two ducks that had an annoyed look on their face, but the moment she saw Shadow crying against Duke with Nosedive holding a hand on her back, her annoyance was already melting away. She liked having Shadow around. She was a tough fighter, and great friend, she never wished to see that horrible look on her friend's face again.

Tanya had the same feelings as the others, and had also suspected Shadow was hiding something that was bothering her as Duke had, but she felt it wasn't too important if she didn't want to talk about it, but Tanya had thought that she'd come to them on her own if it got too much for her to handle on her own. Now, Tanya had thought otherwise.

Once the blonde female duck, had Wildwing settle Shadow down on the bed, she began gathering her things to patch up the injuried girl sitting on a bed.

"You mind telling us what happened back there, Shadow?" Mallory asked in a worried tone, as she watched the girl squeeze her eyes shut in a vain attempt to hold back her tears with every last bit of strength she had left.

Shadow's eyes barely opened and clutched collar around her neck, and her eyes glowed a bright red, her tiny fangs grew slightly in her clenched jaw. "I saw them... I saw them..." She whispered faintly as she held onto her neck.

"Saw who, sweet'eart?" Duke asked in an urgent tone, as he sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Who did ya see?"

"I saw mom and Ray. Th-th-they-they..." Shadow tried to say, but stopped and clutched her throat tightly against the sudden pain in her throat.

Tanya sighed from behind the bed, and made the girl some medicine for her to swallow. Once she was done, she poured the liquid in a tiny cup, and turned to the girl with a motherly look on her face.

"Uh-here ya go, Shadow." She said in a motherly tone, as she handed the little cup to the girl.

Shadow smiled weakly at Tanya and took the cup. She turned back around and held the cup in her hands. "Thanks, Tanya..." She whispered in a scratchy whisper; not looking anyone in the eyes. She took a quick breath, and threw her head back; taking the cup with her and slamming the liquid down her throat. She quickly swallowed it and quickly leaned forward; coughing and gagging on the medicine she had just taken.

Once the medicine had taken effect, Shadow was finally able to breathe. "I'm sorry I woke everyone up... I didn't mean to." She spoke in a scratchy tone, as the tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes.

Duke saw those tears and placed his hand on her back. "It's alright, sweet'eart. Jus' tell us what happen'd in your dream and we'll call it even." He said in a light hearted tone.

"I remember having a nice dream with everyone at the beach," she started off in a quiet tone; leaning forward on her elbows, "then the saurians appeared and came after us."

"Then what happened, Shadow?" Wildwing asked in an encouraging tone; pulling up a chair, and sat on it backwards.

Shadow sighed and looked straight ahead as though she was watching the whole dream happen behind the group surrounding her. She was still aware of Tanya behind her; no doubt gathering things for the nasty cuts on her cheek.

"I was back at the pond. I guess I was lost because I was wondering around the pond, and the next thing I knew, dead people were coming after me!. I took off running and found Tanya in her lab working away at something or other. I tried to get her attention, but she ignored me and kept working; saying I was bothering her." Shadow stopped and took a careful glance over her shoulder to see Tanya freeze in mid-action. "I don't know what that was about, but then the people came back and I ran off and found Grin. He was doing the same thing..." A few tears escaped from her eyes, as she closed her eyes shut and tried not to think about what happened next in her nightmare.

Nosedive took his place on the other side of Shadow, and placed a hand on top of hers. "Yeah, okay, but you just said something about your mom and Ray. I know you said something about your mom being locked up in the looney bin, what happened when you saw her?" He asked in a confused tone; looking from Shadow to everyone else in the room.

Shadow dug her nails into her palms so tightly that they started to bleed. She realized what she was doing, and quickly stopped; grabbing a hold of her pants to stop her from hurting herself anymore.

"Mom was dead. Like when we fought the saurians in the cemetery, and all those dead people came. She told me that I should've died instead of Ray, _and scratched the side of my face_. I took off and ran as fast as I could away from her until I ran into Duke.

Some words were said, and mom snapped her fingers and made these weird black rings come out of nowhere and grabbed us both by the neck wrists and ankles." Tears were now running out of control from Shadow's eyes, as she slouched forward and shook from the mere memory.

She looked back up, and wiped away her tears with rage. "She was going after Duke with a knife and begged her to leave him alone. I closed my eyes, and saw Ray with a hole in his chest; bleeding before me with a knife. He was saying bad things to me... Things I never him say before. And when I asked him to forgive me, he slashed me across the throat. The last thing I saw was Duke passing out."

Duke began rubbing her back, and looked over to Wildwing for help. He saw everyone else looking upset and sympathetic, as they all stared at the girl or the ground.

Duke looked over his shoulder, and saw Tanya walk around the other side of the bed, and began to clean up the scratches on Shadow's cheek; causing her to hiss and flinch at the antisceptic coming in contact with her wounds.

"Uh- Shadow, ya know Grin and I wouldn't a-ab-aban-ugh- leave you alone." She told the girl in a motherly tone, as she put some medical opintment on the wounds.

Shadow nodded in protest, and watched as Tanya placed a large bandage over the long cuts. "Yeah, I know, Tanya. I don't know why I was dreaming something like that." She said in a shaky tone, watching the medical expert now begin to treat her palms.

"Well, it's all over now, and I think we should all turn in for the night." Wildwing suggested in a brotherly tone, as he placed a hand on top of Shadow's; before he got up to his feet. "I'm sure we could all use a few hours sleep, right, Shadow?" He asked with a wink.

Shadow gave Wildwing a slightly brave smile, and looked back down at her feet.

Duke looked down at the girl, and watched everyone file out of the room. Nosedive ruffled the girl's head before he gave her a tight hug, and got up off the bed.

Wildwing was the last to leave the room, and turned around to see Duke was still sitting with her. He guessed Duke was planning on taking her back to her room by himself. He cleared his throat; gaining Shadow's attention.

"You're gonna be alright now, kiddo." He said in a brave smile. "We'll always be there for you."

Shadow smiled warmly back at the leader, and gave him a peace sign. "Thanks, Wildwing. I owe ya one this time."

Wildwing chuckled and shook his head. "Just promise me no more nightmares and we'll be square." He offered in a defeated tone, as he waved the two off before he left the two in the room.

Once he was gone, Duke patted Shadow's knee and pushed off on the knee to get up from the bed.

"Alright, sweet'eart." He said in a fatherly tone, as he offered her a hand off the bed as well. "Let's get cha back inta bed before we lose anymore sleep."

Shadow looked away from the duck standing before her. "I won't be able to go back to sleep after what I just dreampt about." She muttered in a wounded pride tone; placing her hands firmly on the bed.

Duke chuckled and kept his hand out-stretched for Shadow. "Yeah, well, nietha am I." He said in an all-knowing tone. "Why don' we just get settled down in da rec. room and watch some t.v.?" He suggested in a fatherly tone.

Shadow smiled weakly at the old duck leading her down towards the recreation room and watched a little bit of television for a moment, until they decided to try and get some sleep. (If that was even possible).

Shadow laid down in her bed for a moment; then decided to sit in the center of her room to mediate. Once her mind was cleared, she felt something strike her in the back of her mind; causing her eyes to shoot open and look forward, as if it would help her get a better image of what she just saw.

She saw herself losing to her wolf form, and before she knew what was going on, her wolf form had taken control of her body. It was like slow-motion to her, as she watched herself changing into the wolf that she'd call on should she feel angry or frusterated.

The wolf snarled as its eyes glowed an angry red while it shook its head in rage. She saw the scientists that made her into the thing she was today right before her eyes. They were speaking words that she couldn't understand them, but the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach told her that it obvisously wasn't good.

Shadow's vision switched again, and her eyes widened with terror, as she gripped the sides of her head; trembling in fear. "Stop it... Stop it..." She growled through her barred teeth and fangs. "Stop it... Stop it..." Now, that Shadow was at her breaking point, her fear had finally won.

As if the little girl were in some kind of trance, she walked towards her door, and slid it open with a violent 'hiss'. She stepped outside and walked down the hall towards the upper levels of the pond.

Meanwhile, Duke had been lying in his bed; wide awake, and thinking about Shadow's problematic nightmares. He knew that something was wrong with her from the get-go, and now that he knew what was troubling her, a small part of him had wished that he hadn't.

He also knows that now that he knew she hadn't been getting enough sleep, it will only be a matter of time before she snapped and can't tell the difference between reality and her dreams, and get hurt like she did earlier.

(Wolf: Just so we're all clear on this, Shadow's ability to see dead people allows her get in physical contact with them, and that means that "her mother" really DID cut her cheek.)

Duke's thoughts turned off when he heard a door opening, and footsteps walking past his door, and down the hall. An uneasy feeling in the bottom of his stomach.

"Sumthin' ain't right 'ere..." The old duck said to himself, as he pushed himself off his bed, and over towards his door. He opened the door, and stuck his head out to look around.

Finding nothing in sight, he stepped out in hopes of finding out who was still up lurking around. He stops at the corner, and listens for any sound to tell him which way the wanderer might have went. He heard the faint sounds of footsteps coming up from behind him, and whirled around to find Wildwing standing before him with a surprised look in his eyes.

"What's got your feathers in a knot?" Wildwing demanded in a surprised tone; placing his hands on his hips.

Duke shook his head, and looked over his shoulder. "I think somebody's wanderin' 'round down 'ere." He defended himself in a worried tone; looking Wildwing dead in the eyes.

Wildwing sighed and looked around. "I got that feeling, too. But when I bumped into you, I just assumed it was you who was out here." He said in a reasoning tone. He then placed a reasurring hand on Duke's shoulder and offered the duck a small smie. "Why don't we go check it out? It might just be a _fatherly instinct_ nagging at you." He said in a playful tone.

Duke growled and folded his arms over his chest. " 'ey, as _I_ r'call, I've seen times when _you _were worried 'bout _Nosedive_ early on in the story!" He protested in a mildly offened tone.

Wildwing chuckled at the duck's remark. "Yeah, but nothing comes close to the bond between a parent and child. And you and Shadow are prime examples of that." He countered with a playful push, as the two headed down the hall.

Duke thought about Wildwing's comment, and couldn't help but think that maybe he was right about Shadow. If anyone else thought about it, they could see that Duke was very attached to the girl, and knew that when the time came to hand her back to Mr. Kemo, it would most likely break his heart. He also knew that if that DID happen, then the two would probably be forced to leave Anahiem, and Duke just wasn't having that... not now... not ever...

Wolf: Okay, so this is going to be a 4-part finale for this story. And the sequeal will be posted shortly after. I actually have a few things to do before THAT story gets posted, but it'll be centered around Shadow, Mr. Kemo, and Duke.

Duke: **looks at Shadow** Hear dat, kiddo? We gonna have our own story!

Shadow: I know. I've read it already.  
Everyone (but me): **turns to Shadow** You already read it? What happens? Who's in it? Are we all still in it.

Wolf: **glares at everyone** If she tells you, then I will not be responsible for what happens in that story...

Everyone: **yelps and runs away**

Wolf: Exactly! Now, go back to terrorizing my dogs. You all are quite good it and it's very amusing.

Wolf: Now, that that's all over and done with. The 11th chapter will take A LITTLE longer to post because things are getting pretty hecktic around here. I have move with the family, and packing takes time, and a lot of organizing, but that doesn't mean that I can't write a little as I go along. I figured that if I can write at least a few paragraphs a day, I should have my newest chapter posted in at least 3 wks. (yeah, I have that much stuff to pack! T.T) The only thing that'll take a lot of time to pack, would probably be my notebooks, manga, candles, things like that. I swear on my life that the next chapter will be worth your wait.

N: If she remembers to write everyday...  
Wolf: Nosedive, you're really stupid, you know that?  
N: Yeah, but you love me!  
Wolf: **whistles for her dogs** Alright, kids! Get 'im!

N: Help!

Wolf: I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who reads my stories. And White Hunter for the awesome reviews and ideas. They really helped out! Keep sending me that ideas and keep up the work on your story, and I'll review your story the moment I can!

_**Until then...**_

_**Smile until you stop...**_

_**The Paper Wolf**_


	11. In Your Dreams

Wolf: Make way, cuz The Paper Wolf is back!

D: What's she goin' on 'bout dis time?  
W: She's psyching herself out for this chapter.  
D: She's finally back to writing 'bout us again?  
W: **shakes his head at Duke** No, she's pushing herself to get this story done, because her reviewers are pressuring her again... **sighs** she should've have even bothered posting this story up if she can't take criticism...

M: Yeah, but she did it anyway. Can't say that I blame her. I was like that at her age.

Wolf: you all DO realize that I'm standing right here, right? And I'm 24?  
D: **smiles at me** Yeah, but you know how we get when we're stuck in one spot. It's not we can help it!

N: **crawls into the room dramatically** Dang, Wolf! Those dogs really like to play hard!

Wolf: Ready for round 7?  
W: **raises brow** Round 7? Don't you mean "Round 2"?

Wolf: **shakes head** Nope, I've been keeping score on how many times I've sicked my dogs on the duck that YOU'RE supposed to be keeping away from my computer!

M: So, what's the score so far?  
Wolf: **Smiles in triumph** Nosedive- 0 My dogs – 7.

D: **Slaps forehead** He's not afraid o' da dark, Dragonus doesn't faze 'im. So, what gets him?  
Everyone (but Nosedive): **sighs in disappointment** Dogs.

Wolf: Anyway, I'm done with all the disclaimers. If no one knows by now that I'm not the owner of MDTAS, then you all are just as stupid as I am. Let's get this story started!

Chapter Eleven: In Your Dreams...

_One step forward,_

_making two steps back._

_I'm face down,_

_and two steps back!_

_Since I was small,_

_I was told I could fly._

_I jumped off the Pond,_

_to see if they were right..._

_Nobody cried for me..._

Duke and Wildwing were wandering around the lower regions of the pond; looking for Shadow. They had checked in on the poor girl earlier, and found that she wasn't in there. So, with the mystery of who is out wandering around solved, another question remains: "Why would she be out wandering around in the first place. It wasn't until much later that the duo had become a trio in search for their humanoid friend.

Nosedive had joined the party when he couldn't get back to sleep. Who could when they heard Shadow scream like she did? (Wolf: Well, apparently Grin, Tanya, and Mallory! Snicker-snicker) He couldn't get the girl out of his mind. He knew something was bothering her, but he wasn't the duck to push her for answers. He also knew that he couldn't help her much anyway. He couldn't even imagine going through much less help her!

After a while, Nosedive decided to give up; saying that Shadow probably just wants to be alone and went up to the rink for some early practice before the game. He secretly hoped to find the girl on his way.

Duke had a bad feeling about what was going on with Shadow. Now, that he thinks she hurt herself, he knew he had to get an answer from her. And nothing would stop him this time. Not with Shadow's safety on the line.

He and Wildwing had been walking around the upper levels of the Pond when an idea came to Wildwing.

"Hey, Duke," Wildwing spoke up in a curious tone, "you know Shadow better than anyone here, right? Where's the one place in the Pond besides the rink would she go?"

Duke closed his eye, and scratched the bottom of his beak and thought about the question for a minute. Then his good eye opened with surprise. "We could try the roof!" He said in dumbfounded tone, as he slapped his forehead. "I took up dare a few nights ago! She seemed very happy up dare! Maybe she went up dare ta clear her head!"

Wildwing thought about the new information for a split second, and nodded in agreement. "It's worth a try."

And with that in mind, the duo took off up the hall and towards the roof; hoping Duke was right.

" 'ey, wing?" Duke panted out, as the two ran for the roof, "you think the kid may be right 'bout da whole "Ghost-ding"? Ya know, how she dreamed 'er motha scratched 'er face 'n' all, huh?"

Wildwing glared through his mask, and focused on the task at hand. "It's hard to say, Duke." He answered, as they ran up the ladder, "I'm not sure _what_ I believe when it comes to her."

Meanwhile... somewhere in Anaheim...

A shadow-like figure stood at the top of a building at a safe distance from the Pond; playing a strange flute of some kind. The figure played a strange, haunting tune as if he were playing for someone in front of him. He stopped playing for a moment, and lowered his flute from his lips.

"Yes... come to me, child..." The figure said in an snear. "Soon, you will be mine! Ha,ha,ha!"

And with that, he kept playing his haunting tune...

Back at the Pond...

Duke and Wildwing had just opened the door leading to the roof. The two were walking around on the roof as though they were wandering around in the dark.

Wildwing looked over at Duke with accusing eyes. "You said she'd be up here, Duke!" He declared in a slightly panicked tone.

Duke looked around for a moment, and noticed a shadow fly past them. His first thought was Shadow rushing past them, but the sinking feeling told him otherwise. He looked over at his leader, and noticed by the blank look on his face told him that he hadn't noticed the shadow at all.

Duke shook his head for a moment, and before he could have sworn he heard some strange music playing. He walked around the corner, and had found the girl in question standing on the edge of the roof.

She was standing in the back towards them as if she were in some kind of trance; singing an old song with a creepy voice. She had no idea of her audience behind her, and kept singing.

"_**Promise that we'll stay for the sunset,**_

_**And when the moon shines through the darkness.**_

_**We can find the path that leads us home,**_

_**and on the way you'll... maybe,**_

_**Sing me a song."**_

Wildwing took a careful step forward, but was stopped by a quick hand of Duke's. He looked back to see him shake a feathered head at his action, and tugged him over to the side; out of the girl's sight.

"Don' wanna scare 'er, bein' so close ta da edge an' all." He whispered in a quiet tone; keeping his eyes firmly on his leader.

Wildwing nodded and understood the danger. He looked back at the girl and listened to her sing the sad tune.

"_**Promise that you always will be there!**_

_**Hold me hand,**_

_**if ever I'm real scared.**_

_**Help me stand up tall, **_

_**if I fall down.**_

_**Make me laugh away on my bluest days!"**_

"So how are we gonna get her away from the edge?" Wildwing hissed quietly as he sent a glare through his masked eyes.

Duke looked to his leader for a moment, and looked back to the girl. "She's prob'ly been up 'ere for awhile now. I'm sure once she's done singing, she'll step down an' we'll make our move." He advised in a serious tone; praying he would be right.

Wildwing cut his loses and settled back down behind the wall; not knowing what else to do. A part of Wildwing wanted to rush over to her and hold her against him, but a bigger part knew that Duke was right, and he hated that part of him now more than ever. He was protective over the little girl as though she were his own little sister, just the same as he was Nosedive's older brother. It was merely instinct to him. He couldn't help it anymore than Duke's fatherly side.

(Wolf: Okay, I know this is a corny song that has nothing to do with this story, but it sounded pretty when I heard it on youtube. It's short, sweet and simple, and if you don't like, skip it. Bare with me, guys!)

"_**How could you promise you always would be there?**_

_**Why'd you have to go away somewhere?**_

_**Every morning into every night.**_

_**Do you watch over me, like the sun in the sky?**_

_**Am I all alone standing in your light?**_

_**I wish that I could... Maybe...**_

_**Sing you a song... Tonight...**_

_**You promised me we'd stay for the sunset..."**_

Once the song had ended, Shadow gasped and grabbed her throat in pain. It felt just like the collar bolted to her neck (Wolf: Ref. ch. 6) was burning through; cutting off her air supply. She fell to her knees in pain, and began gagging for air. Her eyes were glowing bright red, and she now began screaming uncontrollably just like when they first brought her to their infirmary the time they found out about her past.

"We're on the front line!" Shadow screamed through her pain, as she now began to hold her ears tightly.

"What's goin' on?" Wildwing called out, as he took off for the girl; ignoring Duke's protest.

He rushed over to her side, but she struggled to her feet, and jumped off the roof before he could reach her; scaring him nearly to death in the process.

He looked down to the ground and saw her in her wolf form; running off like a real wolf would do on a hunt. He looked back to see Duke at his side with the same shocked expression as his own.

"We have to follow her!" Wildwing shouted in a panicked tone, as he turned on his heel; ready to chase after the girl. "There's no tellin' what kind of trouble she could get into out there!"

"But how are we gonna catch up ta 'er?" Duke questioned in a worried tone; not knowing what to do. "We could track 'er down with the duck cycles, but what good would it do now? She's got a pretty good headstart on us as it is!"

Wildwing raised his arm to show the older duck a small red blimp beeping on the screen. "I figured she'd pull something like that, so I stuck a tracking device in her jacket. Even she has a good headstart, we'd be able to track her wherever she goes. Now, come on! We gotta find her!"

"But what about da othas?" Duke questioned again; joining Wildwing, but not wanting to bail out on the others, either.

"There's no time! We'll call them on the road! Now, let's move out!" Wildwing ordered in rough tone; not taking No for an answer, as he darted for the door leading back into the Pond.

**Meanwhile... elsewhere**

Shadow's four legs had been running for a few minutes; desperately trying to find the source of the noise hurting her ears and throat. Her glowing red eyes scanning the surrounding area, and kept running. She didn't know what was going on, all she knew was someone had to be causing her pain, and she knew she had to stop it. She had a feeling that it might not turn out for her, but she had to at least give it a try.

She came across a cross-roads somewhere downtown, and didn't know which way to go until the sound caught her ears, and she bolted to the right; hoping it was coming in that direction; because she would be so mad if she had to back track and go the other way. The pain in her body was growing with each step she took, but she used that pain to keep her going. She didn't have much choice. Right now, she wished she was back at the Pond.

She had no idea of the trap that was lying in wait for her...

**Back at the Pond**... Duke and Wildwing had come down to the lower regions of their base, and crossed paths with Nosedive and Tanya. They had no idea what was going on. All Tanya knows is what the younger duck had told her, and she had some rather shocking news for the two worried ducks on their way to track down their humanoid friend.

"Guys, I gotta tell ya somethin' 'bout Shadow! It's important!" Tanya called out to them when they didn't stop.

Duke didn't stop running, but looked over his shoulder in worry. "Come wit us an' tell us if it's that important! We gotta go find Shadow before someone else does!" He called over his shoulder, as he kept up with Wildwing.

The quartette filed in Migrator with Nosedive at the wheel. For the first time, Wildwing was glad for his little brother's need for speed.

"Now, tell us what you were going to say back at the Pond, Tanya." Wildwing ordered from the passenger seat.

Tanya gulped and looked down at her Omi-tool. "Uh- I know dis is -you know- da last ding you wanna hear, Wildwing, but Shadow's collar... it's- it's..." She trailed off with a worried look on her face.

"What is it, Tanya?" Duke growled in a slightly annoyed tone; making her jump in surprise.

"Uh- well, it was botherin' me from da start, so I ran some tests on it, and-" Tanya was cut off by a sharp turn that sent her flying out of her seat. "Uh-hey, watch it, Nosedive!" She demanded in an angry tone; running her rear-end in sympathy.

"We don't have time to watch where we're goin', Tanya!" Duke growled again; giving the female a firm glare. "Shadow went crazy an' jumped off the roof and took off! She was in a lot o' pain before she left. She could be hurt somewhere!"

"Dat's what I'm TRYIN' ta tell you guys!" Tanya snapped angrily, as she got back into her seat and strapped herself in. "Her collar somehow activated and I dink someone is tryin' ta do somethin' to her!" She cried in rage; shaking her fists with each syllable that flew out of her mouth.

The male half of the group (excluding Nosedive) looked over at her in shock. What's going on around there? They needed answers, and they needed them fast.

"Who?" Wildwing asked in a firm tone; ordering an answer from the technology expert.

Tanya looked down at the floor in defeat. "I don' know! I was looking over my readings just before I ran into you guys, and it showed her collar's activated! I had a constant visual reading system installed into her collar so I'd know if something was uh, ya know- goin' on with her, and it says that her body's reacting to something!"

Duke thought about the new information that he received and processed everything. "It could be dat weird sound we heard when we were on da roof top." He said in a thoughtful tone; looking at Wildwing with a straightforward gaze.

"Who would be after her now?" Nosedive asked, as he turned a corner; keeping his eyes on the road and the tracking system in front of him. "I mean, Dragonus gave up goin' after her, right? And she told us a while ago that she took out the Organization before she even came here. So who'd be after her now?"

Wildwing was at a loss. He didn't know the answer to Nosedive's question, no matter how badly he wanted to. He looked up at the road ahead, and found Shadow's wolf form running into the cemetery.

"I don't know, baby bro, but I got a feeling we're about to find out!" He declared in a shocked tone, as he pointed towards the park where he had seen the gray wolf run in.

**Shadow had finally ran into the park**, and dashed through the cemetery. She had a strong feeling from her mind's eye that she'd find whatever she was looking for, she was going to find it there. The pain in her neck was getting strong with each step she took; making it harder and harder for her to keep going. She was using the pain to keep running, but now that she knew her journey was reaching its end, she knew that her body was starting to give up on her.

_'Just keep going, Shadow... Keep going...'_ A voice whispered in her head; instigating her to push herself harder.

The wolf finally reached the back end of the cemetery. She stopped and looked around quickly; panting for breath, as her body slowly began to regain her strength. She had a feeling she was going to need it for whatever it was causing her to be in so much pain.

_'This ends now!'_ Shadow thought as she raised her head up, and howled as loud and long as she could; letting the spirits and whoever was after her know where she was. Her human side knew it was a gutsy move to let them know where she was, but her INHUMAN side told her she was at a disadvantage, so she was going to force her enemy's hand and make them bring the fight to her. _'No matter what it takes!'_

***The ducks went into the cemetery with their guards on edge**; not knowing what was waiting for them. One thing was on their minds once they all stepped through the gates: Save Shadow. Someone was summoning Shadow, but they didn't know who or why they were doing this to their friend. And something told them they were about to find out.

They all jumped at the howl they heard. They knew it was Shadow, but they still couldn't figure out where she was. It was like finding a needle in a haystack with all the twisted twists and turns in the cemetery. Although it had been rebuilt since their battle with the saurians, it looked differently than it did at night than it did during the day.

"Hey, come on and let's find Shadow!" Nosedive whined as he clutched his gun close to his chest; becoming more paranoid with each passing second. "The sooner we find Slim, the sooner we can blow this spooky place!"

An urgent beeping alerted the blonde female. Tanya looked down at her omnibus-tool, and made a startling sound; getting everyone's attention. "We gotta find Shadow and get 'er back to da Pond!" Tanya cried out in a worried tone; looking down at her omi-tool on her wrist. "According to my readings, Shadow's not gonna make it through the night!"

Something inside Duke snapped and he took off with the others hot on his tail feathers. "You heard da lady, guys! We gotta find the kid an' we gotta find 'er fast!" He declared in an urgent tone; keeping his attention on the task ahead.

"Duke's right. Shadow's in this direction so let's shake a tail feather and get to her before someone gets to her first!" Wildwing commanded, as he lead them to

***While The ducks were sprinting off to towards their left,** Shadow's wolf form was having a stand off with the one who summoned her- The source of her pain. The cloaked figure stood before her; still playing the strange instrument.

He finally lowers the instrument from his lips and chuckled wickedly at the over-grown wolf before him.

"I see you've mastered your abilities fully now, Allyce." The voice said in a taunting tone; snickering at the large animal. "I always knew you were special."

Shadow gasped and watched as the figure slowly pulled his hood down to reveal none other than Mr. Kemo standing before her with an evil smirk playing across his lips. She hadn't seen her mentor in so long that she thought something might have happened to the good man.

_'Mr. Kemo?'_ Shadow thought in shock; taking a step back; having a bad feeling.

"I thought something happened to you, Mr. Kemo!" She cried out in relief as she took a careful step towards him; only to be caught in a large, metallic cage coming up from the ground; trapping her behind its bars. "What's the meaning of this?" She demanded in a harsh tone; not liking what was going on. (Wolf: I'd be pretty mad, too if I was locked in a cage. -.-)

Mr. Kemo only laughed and held out a remote to her to see. "You may have excellent reflexes, child, but you never were smart." He said in a taunting tone. "I'm taking my finest project back to New Orleans and have another go with your-adjustments." He said in a pleased tone.

"Ova our dead bodies!" A voice cried out through the darkness; causing the two sides to look up.

It was the ducks to save the day! Nosedive gave a battle cry and took first shot at their foe; causing him to jump back in shock.

"An' dat's what cha get for messin' with a girl!" Duke shouted angrily as he pointed his saber at the man.

Mr. Kemo pointed the remote over at Shadow, and pressed a button; causing her eyes to glow red and made her begin to go berserk within the cage. "You think you can stop me. Well, if I can't have my creation back; then no one will have her!" And with that, he laughed and turned the nob on the controller; causing Shadow to jump and yelp around in the cage.

"We have to get that remote away from him!" Wildwing called out, as he led a charge for the man hurting the wolf. He would've grabbed him and tried to get the remote away from Mr. Kemo himself, but Duke jumped the gun, and began fighting with the man instead.

Wildwing looked back, and seen a swarm of robots coming up from all sides of the scene. He backed away and shifted over towards Nosedive and Tanya; fighting with the lasers flying past them.

"Tanya, I want you to try and get Shadow out of that cage, and see if you can't help her." He ordered in a distressed tone. He looked over at Nosedive, and gave him a final warning look. "Nosedive, cover Tanya! I'll hold them off until you're done!"

And with that, the trio broke away. Tanya rushed over towards the cage with Nosedive covering her as she ran. Wildwing opened fire on the on coming robots; firing pucks in all directions.

"What's dis all 'bout, Kemo?" Duke growled in an angry tone; keeping his weapon pointed at the man hurting the girl.

Mr. Kemo chuckled at the duck before him. "I let her think I was protecting her so I could break her spirit. I need her broken before I can fix her." He told him in an evil tone; sending shivers down Duke's spine. "But first, I had to kill that over-protective brother of hers."

Duke gasped and growled at the man. "Ya monsta!" He roared angrily, as he charged for Mr. Kemo.

_'R-Ray? That's not true! It can't be!'_ The wolf cried in panic, as she began to snarl at Mr. Kemo. "You promised you'd protect me! You lied to me!" Shadow called out through the cage; snapping and biting at the bars.

Mr. Kemo laughed and turned the nob on the controller once again; causing Shadow to howl in pain, and thrash wildly in the cage; slamming herself against the bars in a vain attempt to stop the pain coursing through her furry body.

Then, with a final act of courage, Duke tackled Mr. Kemo, and forced them both to the ground with a harsh thud-like sound. He had a hard time wrenching the controller free, but it was done. He quickly stood up, and placed the remote in his uniform, and kept his saber pointed dangerously at the evil man on the ground; giving him the most unforgiving look as he possibly could.

"Shadow trusted you! Why would you hurt 'er like dat, eh?" Duke demanded in a deadly tone, as he kept his sword trained on Mr. Kemo; ready to strike if given the opportunity. "I thought ya were her guardian!"

Mr. Kemo laughed wickedly at Duke; and braced himself on his elbows; smirking up at him with arrogant eyes. "Why? Because I wanted her brother! He was the perfect fighter! Not some prissy little brat like Allyce! She should've died that day I arranged those stupid kids to shoot the twins!" He screamed angrily, as he stared straight into Duke's eyes.

Wildwing had finished destroying Mr. Kemo's precious robot's and went over towards Duke; pointing his puck launcher at the bad guy in case he tried anything to get away.

"I think I know a certain Captain Klegghorn will be pleased to have this lunatic behind his bars." He said in a heartless tone; pulling the man up to his feet, and tying him up; throwing him roughly into the pile of scrap metal that were once Mr. Kemo's robots.

By the time Tanya had gotten Shadow free, the gray wolf had bolted out of the cage and charged for the bad man lying in the trash heap; pinning him down into the metal and snarling viciously at him. She barred his teeth at him; ready to attack should Mr. Kemo make any form of movements.

"You traitor! I can't believe you would go against your comrade and friend! My father trusted you with his family!" Shadow screamed in pure rage, as she changed between her human and wolf forms at an alarming rate; shaking and punching the man who was just chuckling at her. "You promised you'd take care of me and Ray and you let him down!" She was now screaming; slamming his body against the hard metal under him.

Wildwing took a slight step towards Shadow in an attempt to stop her, but Duke gripped his leader's shoulder and held him back. He looked over at Duke, and saw him shake his head. He looked behind Duke, and saw his younger brother and Tanya joining them, and saw their shocked looks. He couldn't blame them for being surprised at Shadow's rage. He knew she could really hurt someone should she choose to, but it wasn't like Mr. Kemo didn't deserve whatever Shadow was about to hand him, either. There was a part of him that wanted to make the man pay for what he's done to the girl he dared call "his little sister", but another part of him also wanted to comfort the poor girl, whom was now punching the man in the face.

After Duke saw Shadow slowing down her punches and panting for breath, he decided that now was the time to end her onslaught. He carefully walked over towards the girl; making sure she was aware of his being nearby, and pulled the girl back.

"I'm not done with him yet!" Shadow screamed hysterically; trying to break free from Duke's grasp, "He took away my life!"

"I know, sweetheart, but it's ova now... Let it go." Duke said in a gentle tone, "He's got what he deserved."

Shadow kept crying, and turned around in his arms. "He took away everything I ever had! Everything I ever was!" She cried out in rage; screaming and crying, as she held onto Duke's uniform as tight as she could in fear of him leaving.

Wildwing felt a sharp pain in his chest, and turned to Shadow. For once is all his time fighting against evil, he didn't know what to do. A small part of him went out to Shadow, but and even bigger part wanted to see justice done to the one Shadow respected above all else. Despite seeing the grief-stricken Shadow, he saw how kind Duke was being towards the little girl, and smiled weakly at the girl.

After a while, Captain Klegghorn arrived once Wildwing had summoned him, and he and a few other officers placed Mr. Kemo in the back of the a police car, and began talking with the white mallard; getting as much information as he could.

Duke was there with him to make sure justice is served, and to make sure that Mr. Kemo would never get anywhere near Shadow ever again. A small part of him was happy that Mr. Kemo was going to pay for what he's done to Shadow, but a small part of him wanted to see Mr. Kemo suffer like he had made Shadow suffer, but he had to settle for the jail-bird life instead.

He looked back towards the Migrator, and seen Shadow sitting with Nosedive and Tanya at either side of her; her hands were concealing her face from the world. Nosedive wrapped an arm around her back. Duke could tell that the younger duck was trying his best to help the girl to feel better, but from the way Shadow wasn't responding, he knew Nosedive didn't have much luck. Tanya looked up towards Duke and saw him looking over their way, and shook her head at him; letting him know that Shadow was still very upset about what all happened.

Duke turned his attention back to the Klegghorn and Wildwing with a worried look on his face. "What's gonna happen to da girl now?" He asked in a forlorn tone; looking back at the girl with worried eyes.

Klegghorn looked over at the trio at the large vehicle, and sighed. "I guess she'll probably go into foster care until she's old enough to take care of herself." He answered in a guilty tone; shaking his head at the girl.

Duke's head snapped around to face Klegghorn with surprise. "But no one will want 'er! She'll neva make it in da world on her own!" He protested angrily; raising his voice in slight anger.

Wildwing shook his head and folded his arms over his chest. "She'd be better off if she stayed with us, captain." He advised in a reasoning tone; hoping Klegghorn would understand Duke's logic. He didn't want to lose Shadow anymore than Duke did, and he was ready to fight for if he needed to.

Klegghorn rubbed his chin as he thought about Wildwing's words, and looked back at Shadow. He looked back at the two ducks talking with him, and gave them a firm look that told them that he meant business.

"Alright, guys," he said in a defeated tone; not having any more options, "here's what I'm gonna do: I have a few people in C.P.S. That owe me a few favors. I'll pull some strings and see if I can get them to let Allyce – or Shadow stay with you guys." He said in a final tone; giving them a warning glare. "But there's a catch."

Duke's left eye brightened in anticipation. "What's da catch?" He asked in a curious tone.

Klegghorn smirked playfully, and folded his arms over his chest. "I want to see her compete in figure skating again. It's a shame to let a talent like hers go to waste. If you can make sure she skates on the ice again, I'll make sure she stays with you guys as long as she wants... and if she goes to school, of course." He said with a friendly chuckle; extending his hand to strike the deal with the leader. "Deal?"

Wildwing smiled weakly at the captain and shook his hand. "Deal." He said in a decisive tone; feeling Duke nod in approval.

"I'll drop by to check on her every so often and see how she's doin'." Klegghorn said in a soft tone; as he smiled sadly at the girl. He looked back at the duo talking to him, and gave them a dark snarl. "I'll make sure that guy gets what's comin' to 'im. Nobody gets away with hurting kids in my town. Trust me."

Duke folded his arms over his chest, and scowled darkly at the space next to him. "I still dink dat he's gettin' off too easy..." He growled angrily to Trust me, L'Orange," he began in a tired tone; beginning to walk back to his car, "People who go to jail for hurting kids in anyway won't last long in there. Most of them don't come out."

And after everything was said and done, Klegghorn took Mr. Kemo to the police station, and the two ducks talking to Klegghorn walked back to the trio waiting for them...

Wolf: Okay, this is the 2nd to last part of this story. I'm proud to say that I've lived long enough to see the final curtain call for at least one of my stories.

W: And it turned out to be such a good one, too, Wolf.

D: I'm shocked at how good it is, kid. **Smiles proudly** Ya did good... ya did good.

Wolf: Thank you, Duke! It's nice to know that someone likes my work besides Wildwing. Grin hasn't even read it. I can understand Tanya for not reading my story because she's always working on her technology, heck, even Mallory took time out of her weapon's check, but I mean- come on, Grin! Seriously? What are you doing that's so important that you don't have time to read it? You're in it for pity's sake!

Grin: **Shrugs his shoulders** I'll read the story once it's finished, little friend.

Wolf: **Sighs** you ain't gonna read it, are you, Grin?

D: Eh, don' worry 'bout it, sweet'eart. All good dings come to an end, huh?

Wolf: **Growls angrily** Oh, dogs? Who wants an new chew toy?

Dogs: **barks and chases Duke around the room**

D: Ow! Hey, bad puppies! No, don't chase me into da bathroom! Oh, the horror!

M: Why is Duke afraid of the bathroom, Wolf?

Wolf: Nosedive had my grandma's chili dogs, and... well... you know...

M: Say no more. -.-

Wolf: Anyways, I'd like to thank White Hunter for pushing me to finish story and for all the help and ideas! You really saved this story from being just another old, forgotten piece of work! Thanks for all your help! I really needed a good dose of reality!

And Always, smile until you stop...


	12. And Then There Was Seven

Wolf: Okay everybody! This is it!

W: What's it?

D: **looks over my shoulder** Dis chapta is pretty good, kiddo! I think dis one's da best one you've done so far!

Nosedive: **looks over my shoulder, too** The Dukester's right, Wolf: this is the best chapter you wrote.

Wolf: **bangs both their heads together**

D&N: Ow! What was that for?

Wolf: **folds hands over my chest** That's for the vote of confidence, guys. You two should be cheerleaders! You'd both look cute in skirts!

W: **sighs** I should've seen that coming...

Wolf: Anyway, to everyone who cares enough to read this story, thanks for the reviews, it's nice to know that people are still reading it after so long!

Happy readings, and remember:

...Smile until you stop...

Chapter Twelve: And then there was 7

_We'll stick together_

_through thick and thin._

_That's the meaning,_

_of being a team!_

_We all bring out,_

_the best things in each other!_

_The secret is believing each other!_

Shadow looked up just in time for the two to join them with swollen eyes. "What's going to happen now?" She asked them in a broken up tone.

Duke smiled and placed an ashy feathered hand on top of the girl's. "Don' cha worry 'bout dat, sweet'eart. We're gonna take care of ya."

Nosedive looked up at his older brother with hopeful eyes. "You're kiddin', right, bro?" He said; not believing his brother's answer.

Duke smiled proudly and knelt down before the girl, and placed his hand on Shadow's shoulder. "You won' havta worry 'bout nobody comin' afta ya no more, sweet'eart. It's gonna be alright now." He said in a fatherly tone, as he gently pulled one of Shadow's hands down from her face.

"That's if you want to stay with us, Shadow." Wildwing pointed out in a knowing tone, "You're free to choose what happens in your life now. No more Organization or Mr. Kemo coming after you. You can live a normal life... well-as normal as living with the Mighty Ducks can get." He said in a slight joking tone.

Nosedive jumped up from his place beside the girl, and pulled the girl up with him. "And to make it official, we can change your name to, "Shadow Flashblade" so you can be our sister!" He said excitedly, as he gave Shadow a fierce hug. "I get to be a big brother for a change!"

Wildwing laughed and placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder; keeping him from jumping up and down. "Whoa now, baby brother. Let's not jump the puck here. Let's take this one day at a time." He said in a friendly tone; giving his brother's shoulder a warning squeeze.

Shadow nodded, and looked down at her shoes, and sighed. "I want to stay with you guys..." She whispered in a hurting tone; not looking anyone in the eyes.

Tanya's eyes softened at the girl, and placed her hand on the girl's back. "Come on, Shadow, let's get you back to the pond and see if we can't get that collar off you." She said in a soothing tone, as she did her best to guide the girl into the Migrator.

Shadow looked down at the ground below her for a moment; not talking or looking at anyone around her.

"Ray..." She whispered in a quiet tone; a small tear falling from her eye.

Duke looked down at the girl beside him with questioning eyes. "What's da matta, Sweet'eart?" He asked in a gentle tone.

Shadow shook her head and pinched her cheek tightly; a small bruise forming in place. She looked up at Wildwing with determined eyes. "I want to stay with you guys." She said in a mind-set tone; never taking her eyes off of Wildwing.

Wildwing knew the girl was thinking about something other than living with the ducks. He in turned, tilted his head to the side, and watched the girl in front of him for a split second, before he spoke up.

"There's something else, isn't there?" He asked in serious tone, as he looked up at everyone around him and the girl.

Angel sniffed slightly and nodded. "I want to say goodbye to someone back home..." She replied in a quiet tone. "I want to say goodbye before he go back to the Pond."

Nosedive mimicked his older brother's action, and tilted his head to the side. "Why can't cha call 'em up?"

Shadow shook her head. "I can't call up Ray." She said in a hurting tone. "I want to say goodbye in person."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. What could they say to help her feel better? Not a whole lot. Everyone felt terrible about everything that's happened to the poor, unfortunate soul they all grew to love, but they also wanted to make her understand that they loved her and wanted to take care of her. (Duke and the Flashblade brothers especially).

Duke placed a hand on Shadow's head, and gave her a fatherly smile. " 'ey, if no one else wants ta come, den I'll take ya myself." He declared in a proud tone.

"Whoa, hold it right dare a minute!" Tanya cried out in protest. "I don' dink dat's such a good idea! I mean-what happens if someone tries ta-you know- activate your collar while we're down dare?"

Wildwing sighed, and folded his arms over his chest. "Tanya's got a point, Shadow," Wildwing said in a brotherly tone. "I promise we'll take you back to New Orleans as soon as Tanya finds a way to remove that collar of yours. Or at least deactivate it long enough for you to say your goodbyes." He reasoned in a gentle smile.

"Besides, we could all use a good forty winks. We DO have a game in a few hours, ya know?" Nosedive chimed in with an understanding look on his face.

Shadow looked down at her feet, and thought about what they were telling her, and looked back up at them with a sad smile. "I guess you're right... It would be nice to know that no one would try to use this stupid collar on me."

"Dat's da spirit, patch!" Nosedive cried out in a readied tone; grabbing Shadow's hand and dragging her inside the Migrator; making everyone chuckle at the youngest duck's behavior. "I'll make sure you get front row seats to the game and you get to see yours truly beat the ta-ha-hail-feathers off the Arizona Werewolves!" (Wolf: I know that's not the correct team for Arizona NHL, but I wanted to make this as original as the series was. Sorry!)

**The ducks had made it just in time** for the big game, and it couldn't have gone any better. Even though their opponents played dirty, and were put in the penalty box for tripping Mallory and putting Duke on the boards, Shadow saw her favorite team play with honor; just like they always played. But they played their best for this game because they now had someone to really play for. Of course, they played for their fans, but none of them came close to the little girl known as "Shadow Honda".

Nosedive had followed through on his word and got Shadow a front row seat of their game. Shadow kept her eyes trained on the ducks; cheering them on like a true fan. Duke would be found skating by her and would wave to her as he went. Shadow clapped and hollered for them until the final score for the night. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks – 3, The Arazonia Werewolves – 1. It would've been a flawless victory (3-0) had not for one of the werewolves tripped Mallory, but everyone was happy they won regardless.

The ducks were all in the locker room; changing out of their uniforms with Shadow standing beside Nosedive like a normal little girl; praising them about the good game they played.

Tanya had finished putting her gear in her locker, and turned to Shadow with a firm look in her eyes. "Alright, Shadow," she told the girl in a motherly tone; placing a firm hand on Shadow's shoulder, "let's get you down to the infirmary and take dat collar off your neck."

Shadow looked up at Tanya, and smiled. "Yeah! I get to be normal again!" She said in a happy tone; looking to see everyone else in the room smile.

Tanya nodded and guided Shadow towards the elevator with everyone in tow. ( Wolf: Grin and Mallory had been told about what happened when the rest of them got back to the pond; how they managed to win the game was beyond me.)

** After a few hours of being strapped onto the medicom**, Tanya had told the others that she wasn't able to take the collar off of Shadow's neck. Everyone was on edge at what they heard. What's going to happen to Shadow now? Will she still be a normal little girl like she wanted? Or will she always be the "science project"? Questions ran through everyone's head like a runaway train. They all wished that they could help her in some way, but no one knew what to do.

"Are you sure you can't take it off, Tanya?" Wildwing asked in a serious tone; making the technology expert feel guilty.

Tanya shrank away from her leader, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Wildwing. The collar can't be removed." She said in a shameful tone; not looking him in the eye. "At least not without killing her in the process."

Wildwing sighed and ran his feathered fingers through his hair. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now." He said in a defeated tone; cutting his losses.

Mallory slammed her fist into her hand. "If only I was there! I would've made sure Mr. Kemo would've never even made it to jail!" She said angrily, as venom nearly dripped from her beak.

Tanya took a step into the circle. "Hey, I still managed to deactivate da stupid collar! It could pass as -uh- ya know, tacky fashion accessory."

Duke eyed the female in front of him with untrusting eyes. "Yeah, but will she still have 'er powas?" He asked, not believing her.

Tanya nodded. "Yeah, but as long as she keeps them in check, which is- uh- a 100% chance, she could pass as a normal human girl her age." She reasoned in an honest tone; eying the duck as though he didn't believe her.

Duke sighed and looked back at the door where Shadow was behind it; putting her shirt back on. "Oh, well, I guess she'll have to live with it, but at least da stupid collar won' work anymore, right?"

Tanya nodded in approval. "Well, it shouldn't be able to work witout dis anyway." She agreed in a triumphant tone; holding up some kind of microchip that came from inside Shadow's collar.

Wildwing nodded, and heard the door open with a soft hiss; revealing a ragged Shadow stepping out.

"Hey, patch!" Nosedive cried out in a happy-go-lucky tone; grabbing Shadow in a tight hug. "How're ya feelin'?" He asked.

Shadow winced with a sharp yelp; forcing Nosedive to let her go. "I'd feel better if I didn't feel like Grin punched me through the wall." She said in a bitter tone; rubbing her arm in sympathy. "But it's nothing compared to the things I HAVE been through." She offered everybody her bravest smile, as she tried her best to walk towards her bunk.

Tanya carefully placed a hand on Shadow's back, and pushed her back into the infirmary. "Uh-Oh, no you don't, Shadow!" She warned in a firm tone, "You're goin' back in there and you will let me dress your wounds! Uh-and don't even think about leaving that room for the rest of the night! You need to rest!"

Shadow whined, as she looked back at Duke and Wildwing for help. "But I'll feel better sleeping in my OWN bed!"

Duke chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. "Betta do what she does, sweet'eart." She said in an amused tone; watching Tanya push Shadow back into the infirmary. "She'll only make it harda on ya if ya don' do what she says."

Shadow glared playfully at Duke before Tanya closed the door behind them; shutting the others out while she continued to fix the injured girl's wounds.

**It was well into the middle of the night** and Shadow was resting soundly on the medical bed. Tanya kept a constant visual on her while she slept. Wildwing had told everyone to try and get some rest, and that they'll all get to see Shadow tomorrow. (With the forced guarantee that Shadow will be back to the way she was before she was ever hurt.)

Shadow had woken up only once that night and had found Tanya sleeping with her head resting on the side of bed. She tried to lift her arm up to her face, but stopped when she saw the IV for a few medicine bags stuck in her wrists; where her veins popped out the most. The sharp pain forced Shadow to leave her arms where they lay. She also felt bandages on her knuckles, wrists, and neck; covering her collar.

From the way Shadow had recalled how motherly Tanya had been acting since she saw her in the cage; yelping and howling in pain, as she collar began hurting her, she could tell that the oldest female duck had sort of become like the mother she wished she had. Now, she took the time she had and thought about what the others reminded her of...

Shadow had always thought of Mallory like an older sister and best female friend. She was the one who helped Shadow get clothes and stuff for her room. She was the only one (besides Tanya) whom she could go to if she ever had any "girl problems" and willingly accept any advice they would give.

Nosedive had always reminded Shadow a lot of Ray. They were both so goofy and wild that it sometimes scares her. It hurts when she thinks about what the Organization did to her, but it hurt even worse knowing that Ray wasn't there. It was those times that Nosedive would say or do something that would make Shadow laugh; making it feel as though Ray was still with her.

Grin had often reminded Shadow of an kind of uncle. He always watches out for the she-wolf, but didn't take it any further than that. He once taught her how to meditate and formed a slight bond, they'd occasionally be found in the training room; meditating side by side.

Wildwing was like an older brother for Shadow. He was the oldest between the two teenagers, and was always protective over his brother and Shadow. She once heard Wildwing swearing that sometimes he couldn't tell if Nosedive either had a human twin – or if he's just rubbed off on her. He always seemed to know if she had something more she'd like to say, and give her the chance by speaking to her like a brother normally does when being cornered.

She admired that trait about him. She hardly had time to think about Duke. She was very fond of him and thought very highly of him. The way he'd look while he watched her skate on their pond made her think of the father and daughter she once saw while they were at the park at the beginning of the story. (Wolf: Nosedive always speaks to the audience throughout the series, so why couldn't I?) A small part of her wishes she could've been a duck like them so he WOULD be her father.

But even if she was close to Duke, she was just as close to him as she was the Flashblade brothers. She couldn't choose between them. It was as simple as that. She was close to the whole team in some unique way, but she was closer to the thief and two brothers. Simple and Clean.

** She was startled out of her thoughts **when she heard the door slide open with a hiss. Shadow's head snapped towards the sound to see Duke step into the room with a gentle smile on his feathered face.

"Mornin', sweet'eart." He said in a quiet tone; not wanting to wake Tanya up and knowing she had been up most of the night. "How're ya feelin'?"

Shadow smiled faintly at Duke, and tried to lift a hand to wave at him, but hissed in pain, and quickly placed her arm back down beside her body. She shook her head and smiled up at Duke.

"I look worse than I feel. Trust me, Duke," she said in a quiet tone; hoping not to wake Tanya up, "I don't hurt NEARLY as bad as I did last night while I was stuck in that cage. Now, THAT hurt."

Duke chuckled and ruffled Shadow's hair slightly. "I'd imagine. I'd be hurtin', too if I was in your shoes."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two awake, until he broke it with a quick clearing of his throat. "I was so proud of ya last night, Shadow. I wouldn't have been so nice ta Kemo if I was in yer place. I probably wouldn't have let da cops take 'im away if I was you." He said in an amazed tone; offering her a fatherly smile, as he leaned against the wall beside her bed with his arms crossed his chest.

Shadow shook her head at the duck beside her. "You're wrong, Duke." She said in a sweet tone. "I didn't want to leave anything left of him for the police. I was filled with so much hurt and rage inside that it consumed me. I almost lost control but I'm glad something I had you and the others to pull me back in time. Otherwise, I really _would have_ done something that I would regret."

"That's a good way of thinking, Shadow." Wildwing interrupted in a proud tone; quietly joining Duke's side beside the bed.

Shadow smirked playfully at the leader. "Well, I _do_ have a really good teacher now." She said in a sneaky tone; causing the male half in the room to chuckle; knowing what she meant.

"So have you put any thought into what your next move is, kiddo?" Wildwing asked the question Duke wanted to ask.

Shadow's duel colored eyes came back to life, and she smiled up at Wildwing. "Well, I'd like to stay here with you guys if you don't mind." She said in a hopeful tone, "But I don't want to be "Shadow Honda" anymore. "Allyce Pendragon" died with her brother, and I've washed my hands with the Organization. I don't like being reminded of it forever." She answered in a thoughtful tone.

"Well, you can always take my last name." Wildwing offered in a friendly tone; giving her a joking smile.

Shadow laid her head down on the pillows, and thought about the new name. "... "Shadow Flashblade"... it doesn't really sound right, you know? Don't get me wrong, Wing, "Flashblade" is a really good name for you, I-mean, every part of your name fits you true to form! It just doesn't go with Shadow."

Wildwing thought about his suggestion for a few quick seconds, and gave her a blank stare. "You're right. It doesn't make sense," he said in a slightly disappointed tone; looking over to Duke for his suggestion, "does it?"

Duke shook his head, and smiled fatherly at the girl. "We don' dink Grin even _has_ a last name, but I'm sure Mallory wouldn't mind sharing her last name wit' cha."

Shadow looked down at her knees, and thought about the name for a minute. "I don't want Mallory's name." She said in a polite. "It's nothing against Mallory, but I'm not the descendant of a mallard." She said in a playing tone. "Any name with "Mc, Mac, or O' " means that they are a descendant of the name that it's attached to. I'm not a duck."

Wildwing had an idea and smiled over at Shadow. "Well, if you want to have one of our names, I think you should have Duke's last name." He said in a logical tone; looking over at Duke. "The name makes more sense than any of ours."

Shadow smacked her forehead and smiled nervously at the two beside her. "Why didn't I think of that?" She mumbled in sarcastically, as she faked pouting at the two. "I think Shadow L'Orange has a certain ring to it, too!"

Duke smiled and rubbed the top of Shadow's head. "Welcome to the family, sweet'eart." He said in a mock-fatherly tone.

"I think Ray would be so proud of you." Wildwing said in a big brother tone; offering Shadow an encouraging smile.

And after all that was said and done, Shadow made a silent pledge that she was no longer named 'Shadow Honda' because she wanted to move on and finally let go of the past. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but with the help of her new family, she knew she would be alright...

Right now, she was playing tarot cards by herself. Mallory and Nosedive were watching her while Duke was playing chess with Wildwing.

Shadow flipped a card over and pointed to the image. "This one means that I'll have new changes facing me. And the other one means that I'm going to fail someone or something. I'm not too clear on that one." She explained in a curious tone; eying the cards.

Mallory laughed and stood up from her seat. "It's good to have you back, kiddo. Things weren'y the same without ya." She said before a big yawn escaped her beak. "Just don't do that again, you hear me, soldier?" She asked in a joking tone; giving the girl a tired smile.

Shadow gasped and smiled softly at the duck in front of her. "I promise, Mallory. And go to sleep – Sargent!" She said in a mocking tone; pointing straight at her.

The male ducks snickered at the two bickering females in the room. It was good to see that not a whole lot has changed between the humanoid and the ducks since the terrible event that happened just the other night. Though Shadow is having a few difficulties, but they weren't much to deal with.

She had suffered greatly that night because Mr. Kemo had activated her collar and shooting volts of electricity through her body while being confined in a cage. She had also suffered burns around her neck, and because she slammed herself into the cage; trying to break free, she had a dislocated hip, and had to use crutches to get around the pond. Tanya had reasoned with Shadow, and let the girl sleep in her own room.

Yup... things haven't changed one bit.

The End

Wolf: Sorry it was so late! I had a lot of things I had to do! I have to do a Transformers Prime and Animated fanfic for a friend, and work, and I have to go to a family reunion whom half the people there are relatives I've never met, work, get my check and do my chores, and work! I'm just so busy theses days, I don't have a lot of time to finish. But This story now officially completed! I'm grateful to White Hunter for pushing me to finish my story. My only regret is that I took so long in finishing it.

I'd also like to thank everyone who never believed me. I promise I won't let you down next time! Until the next go-round... Smile Until You Stop. I'm outtie... Peace!

Duke: See Ya!

Wildwing: Later!

Nosedive: Catch cha on the flip-side!

Mallory: At ease, maggots!

Tanya: Nice to know ya!

Grin: May our paths cross in the near future...

Shadow: Peace out!


End file.
